Goodbye British ‘Black History Month’? Cyber-Racism and Whitewashing Mar U.K. Celebration
For the past 20 years, October has marked the start of Black History Month in the U.K. (a whole 31 days! Imagine!) But this year, the event has been mired in controversy, with one prominent Black History Month site recently targeted by hackers and some local councils now opting to rebrand October as “Diversity Month.”
Let’s start with the hacking of Black History Month magazine’s website, which was attacked twice within 24 hours. As the Guardian reports, the entire site was brought down on Monday morning, restored, and then attacked again on Tuesday morning.
Patrick Vernon, the magazine’s editor, says the site is the country’s most popular one dedicated to black history, and that the timing of the attack was deliberate.
“What we are experiencing now is part of a wider context of cyber-racism,” he told the Guardian.
“We thought initially it was because Black History Month was trending because there has been a lot of interest on social media and in newspapers,” Vernon said. “It is very clear that it has been targeted by hackers in the UK. We don’t know who it is, but it’s clear whoever they are picked on us yesterday deliberately [on the first day of Black History Month].”
Vernon added that interest in Black History Month in the U.K. was higher this year because of the “Windrush Scandal,” which involves Caribbean immigrants who came to the U.K. between 1948 and 1971—the “Windrush generation”. Recently, some members of the Windrush generation were classified as illegal immigrants (despite being invited to move to the U.K.) and were threatened with deportation or turned away from jobs and public services, like health care.
Despite living and working in the UK for decades, many Windrush children are being told to leave.…
Part of the problem was that the British government had destroyed some immigrants’ landing cards, and didn’t keep track of the Caribbean immigrants allowed to stay in the U.K.
Prime Minister Theresa May recently apologized to Caribbean leaders for the debacle, reports the BBC.
The scandal also exemplifies why Black History Month is so important, especially as several London councils try to replace the month with a more generic “Diversity Month,” BHM supporters say.
According to News One, one conservative West London borough decided to focus more broadly on “multiculturalism,” rather than home in specifically on African and Caribbean culture and history. And another conservative South London neighborhood will rebrand BHM as “Diversity Month,” celebrating … well, everyone, it seems: Indian, Polish, Spanish, Chinese, and African and Caribbean cultures will be lumped together in a month that, in attempting to celebrate everyone, will ultimately mean nothing to anyone.
(*Taps mic* Y’all do know there are 11 whole other months, right?)
As Raifa Rafiq, a host on the Mostly Lit podcast, told BBC’s Newsbeat, taking the “black” out of “Black History Month” is unacceptable.
“Black people are at the bottom of that barrel and this month is supposed to be significant because we’re supposed to be celebrating those black lives,” she said.
“So it becomes really annoying to see that just black, and that word in itself, is not taken into consideration.”
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I Just Wanted Those Raggedy Shitstain To Loose
It so important to VOTE!! EVERY VOTE does count! If you don’t vote on a ballet or vote for an independent presidential or Senator candidate we all end up loosing very crucial bills and laws that need to pass, revised or vetoed!
In a Billboard cover story last week, knapsack enthusiast J. Cole admitted that he didn’t vote in the 2016 presidential election, claiming that while he would have voted for Bernie Sanders, Hillary Clinton just didn’t motivate him.
Naturally, he was roundly criticized for this—particularly since he’s considered to be (and shrewdly positioned himself as) an artist concerned with and invested in politics. How could someone so mindful of our history do something so disrespectful? How could someone who considers himself so smart do something so dumb? Did/does he not realize how dangerous and damaging the false equivalencies comparing Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump are?
These (and other similar) questions are natural, damning and fair. They also might be the wrong ones.
Because if, for instance, my 18-year-old nephew watched the circus of the Judge Brett Kavanaugh confirmation hearings last week; and if he spent the last week watching CNN and MSNBC and Fox News; and if, after consuming all of this, he shared that he was deeply disillusioned with politics and not sure why he should even care, I’m not sure what I could say to sway him. Of course, I could remind him of the clear white supremacist bent of the Republican Party. I could teach him that as long as they’re in power, women’s rights and LGBTQ rights remain tenuous.
But then he could say, “If the Republicans are so bad and evil and the Democrats are so good, why did Barack Obama eulogize John McCain? And how did Michelle Obama and George W. Bush seem to become such good friends?”
And then I’d say, “Well, um, McCain and Bush were different. Republicans, sure. But they were decent people, and …”
And then he’d say “But if Bush is so different and so decent, why is he trying to get Brett Kavanaugh confirmed?”
And then I’d just take him to Chipotle.
Deciding to vote is, and will always be, the right answer. But considering this very real and very justified skepticism of politics and politicians —and also considering gerrymandering and voters’ rights restrictions and the rest of the obstacles put in place to make the act of voting a struggle—I just can’t begrudge someone whose response to this is “Fuck it.” I can be sanctimonious and self-righteous and attempt to shame them, perhaps. But when attempting to craft a compelling and honest counter to the voter apathy that 74 percent of 18-29-year-olds possess, I have nothing. Instead, I’ll just share what’s motivating me.
Of course, I recognize the danger of a right-leaning SCOTUS. Of course, I know the effect our elected officials have on the economy, our healthcare, our law enforcement, our education and criminal and environment justice. As theoretical and hypothetical and transparently performative as political arguments and campaigns tend to be, who we elect to office has a literal impact on the bodies we inhabit. For women, for people of color, for the LGBTQ community, for people who are not Christian, and for people who are not American-born Americans, this threat is critical. How America decides to vote can be the difference between life and death.
But the gravity-defying force that will lift me from my home on Nov. 6 and carry me to my polling station is schadenfreude. When I think of people like Donald Trump and Brett Kavanaugh—men who have never experienced any real disappointment or struggle or pain and are openly hostile towards and mocking of those who have—I just want those motherfuckers to lose. Same with all of the frothing MAGA motherfuckers who, as the Atlantic’s Adam Serwer articulated yesterday, mine glee from cruelty towards us. I want them to feel like shit, even if said shitty feeling only moderately interrupts the torrent of privilege, and I will derive more immediate pleasure from their defeat than our victory. Yes, the country will be a better and safer place if progressive politics win out, and this will make me happy. This will be a good thing. A great thing. But I also want them to be crushed, and this want for their political destruction and descent into self-doubt and irrelevance exists independent of the desire to win. And, also, it will bring my black ass joy.
I will tell my nephew this on the drive to Chipotle. And hopefully, by the time he finishes his chorizo and pinto bean burrito, he’ll agree.
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‘Mean Girls’ Accused of Faking Sex Assaults to Implicate Boy
A lawsuit filed by the parents of a Pennsylvania boy who was accused of sexually assaulting two teen girls alleges the accusers and their friends conspired against the boy by falsifying the allegations. Per Trib Live, the suit filed in a Pittsburgh federal court claims the boy, identified as T.F., was the target of lies that lead to false charges against him and his being bullied at Seneca Valley High School. Dubbing them “Mean Girls” in a play on the conniving characters of the book and film of the same name, the suit filed on behalf of T.F.’s parents alleges one teen girl first claimed he assaulted her in July 2017 while another claimed she witnessed it. Per PennLive, the suit says the accuser was later recorded by school officials as she explained that she made up the assault against T.F., saying “I just don’t like him.”
While T.F. was charged in juvenile court, he was given a consent decree in which he admitted no fault while committing to checking in with the probation department for six months. In April, a second girl claimed T.F. entered her home and assaulted her after which two other girls supported her claim, the suit alleges, leading to his being hauled out of school in shackles and placed on home confinement pending a hearing. In May, the suit says three of the girls admitted they had lied to authorities. Prosecutors moved to dismiss charges against T.F. in August. His parents’ lawsuit cites gender bias and asks for civil damages against the girls’ parents, the school district, and the Butler County District Attorney’s office.
via: http://www.newser.com/story/265604/mean-girls-accused-of-faking-sex-assaults-to-implicate-boy.html
Gas station owner asks customer not to warm urine in store microwave; customer asked to see a sign saying so
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A Florida gas station owner has placed a sign in his store asking customers not to warm urine in the microwave.
Parul Patel says he’s become “sick and tired” of people walking into his BP gas station and On the Fly convenience store in Jacksonville to warm their containers of urine. The store is within walking distance of two labs, though one says it doesn’t collect samples for drug tests.
Patel tells First Coast News the people “walk in off the street, microwave their urine containers then leave.”
Warming urine from someone who hasn’t taken drugs is seen by some as a way to help pass a drug test.
Patal says a woman became aggressive a few months ago when he asked her not to warm urine. She asked to see a sign that says it’s not for that purpose. So he made one.
via: https://pix11.com/2018/10/07/gas-station-owner-asks-customer-not-to-warm-urine-in-store-microwave/
Indiana 17-Year-Old Allegedly Raped Multiple Schoolmates, Told Girl ‘Just Loosen Up’
Two felony counts of rape have been filed in Indiana against a 17-year-old high school student who has been accused of sexual misconduct by at least four female schoolmates.
PEOPLE obtained a probable cause affidavit against Levi Stewart, who has been charged as an adult and faces up to 32 years in prison if convicted.
The Plainfield teen was released from custody on Sept. 10 on $5,000 bond. He will be asked to enter pleas to the charges at his next court hearing, scheduled for Nov. 14.
Authorities accuse Stewart of “threatening, intimidating and harassing young female students in his classes to engage in sexual activity with him,” the probable cause affidavit states.
According to the affidavit, Stewart allegedly coerced two 17-year-old girls into performing sex acts on him. He was arrested Sept. 6 on the rape charges.
Police interviewed two other girls — a 16-year-old and an 18-year-old — who said Stewart forced them into engaging in sexual activity in a public park in Plainfield.
The allegations against Stewart span a period of 18 months.
The affidavit alleges investigators were contacted by school officials in late August after female students came forward to accuse Stewart of “harassing and touching” them following an Aug. 17 football game at Plainfield High School. It wasn’t clear from the affidavit whether the girls who initially accused Stewart are among the four identified as accusers in the affidavit.
One of the four accusers in the affidavit told police Stewart used physical force with her when she refused his sexual demands, allegedly hitting her arm or slapping her. Another time he was rejected, Stewart allegedly grabbed the girl by the neck and screamed at her, according to the affidavit.
Another accuser described how Stewart would allegedly forcibly kiss her while unbuttoning her pants. The affidavit further alleges Stewart forced that accuser to perform oral sex on him by grabbing her by the back of the head and pushing her face towards his crotch.
“Do it,” he demanded, according to the affidavit. “You’re already down there.”
The affidavit details allegations of how another accuser once was forcibly molested by Stewart: When she asked him to stop, he allegedly told her to “just loosen up,” the affidavit states.
A Plainfield Schools spokeswoman provided The Indianapolis Star with a statement on the arrest, stating administrators “cooperated fully with law enforcement authorities throughout their investigation.”
The statement adds: “It is our obligation and responsibility to protect the privacy of students, and we do not anticipate making further comment on this matter.”
Neither Stewart nor his attorney were available for comment Thursday.
Comedian Dave Chappelle backs childhood friend Jealous for Md. governor
WASHINGTON — A Maryland gubernatorial hopeful recently secured the rare endorsement from a prominent comedian who was born in D.C. and grew up in Maryland.
Comedian Dave Chappelle is throwing his name behind longtime friend and Democratic candidate for Maryland Governor, Ben Jealous. This marks the first time that the Chappelle Show star and stand-up comedian has officially endorsed any political candidate.
Chappelle told WTOP that his history with Jealous gave him confidence that the gubernatorial hopeful would make a good leader for the state of Maryland.
“I’ve known Ben since I was 17,” Chappelle said. “I knew of him all my life, but when I was 17 we became really good friends — and since that time he has been a committed community servant. A guy with his resume could have done a lot of things to make a lot of money, and he stayed committed to the things that were important to him. And he made a difference.”
The actor and comedian had a response for those who might say that entertainers should not get involved in issues of politics, as well.
“Those people can say whatever they want. Actors are gonna get involved in politics because American life allows anyone to say whatever they feel like they need to say,” Chappelle said. “And, I don’t go out here and say everything every time I see something wrong or feel some kind of way, but in this particular election there is somebody that I personally know that is very inspiring and very exciting and they’re running for an office for a state that I was raised in the first 10 years of my life, and I think he’s in a position to make a palpable difference.”
Jealous is lagging behind Republican incumbent Larry Hogan in the polls, though he tells WTOP that the numbers are not shaking his belief in the viability of his campaign.
“Back on June 26, the polls all said we would lose the primary for months — literally we lost every poll until we won the election by ten points,” Jealous said.
“If you go back four years ago, Larry Hogan was in the same place I am right now. What we know is that it’s not the polls that decides who wins and it’s not money that decides who wins — it’s the people of our state and the people of our state have shown themselves time and time again to defy the prognostications of pollsters and pundits,” Jealous said.
Chappelle had a parting message to everyone ahead of the upcoming election cycle.
“Try to get out and vote — no matter what you believe — because that’s the only way this is gonna work.”
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report
Article via: Comedian Dave Chappelle backs childhood friend Jealous for Md. governor
Chance the Rapper pledges $1 million to mental health services in Chicago
Chance the Rapper continues to show his support for Chicagoans in need as he pledged $1 million for mental health in the city Thursday.
He also announced plans to give $100,000 to 20 additional Chicago Public Schools.
Running in to raucous applause, Chance the Rapper took the stage in front of Chicago Public Schools educators, principals, health care experts and the world on his Twitter page with a major announcement for the city.
“I’m proud to announce I am pledging $1 million to mental health services in Chicago,” Chance said to rousing applause and screams of joy.
The new initiative by Chance called “My State of Mind” aims at creating a go-to, modern resource for Chicagoans to learn about and access mental health services.
Members of the Illinois Department of Human Services and the Chicago Department of Public Health were in attendance, among others.
Backing up Chance and his non-profit SocialWorks were big name stars like Tracee Ellis Ross, Black Panther star Chadwick Boseman and even Oprah expressing the importance of mental health.
“We need a new space to get information on how they feel and where they can go,” Chance said.
On Thursday, SocialWorks pledged to give $100,000 to six different mental health providers in the city to start. But that’s not all. Chance’s partnership with Chicago Public Schools just got bigger.
“This year, 20 more schools will get $100K…” Chance said to cheers. “We will be upping the game in terms of equity, in terms of what is rightfully yours. Principals, teachers, we got your back.”
Applications for those mental health grants begin in January.
Learn more by visiting http://www.socialworkschi.org
Article via: Chance the Rapper pledges $1 million to mental health services in Chicago