ally-hood

Support South End Press!

Lisa Jervis — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 18:02:31 -0400

This morning in my in box was an e-mail titled, "An Open Letter to the South End Press Community." I clicked right on it, before I read my daily-headlines e-mail or the note from Debbie asking my opinion on a Very Important Matter—and even before I read the note from the boy I am currently most crushed out on. Because I am a member of their Community Supported Publishing program, which means I get a copy of every single book they publish as a thank-you for my monthly donation, and that's how much I love South End, the publisher of some of the most important political books being pubished today. Just to make sure you know.

If you're not already familiar with South End, you should get to know them right now. They are, as their letter notes, "the nation's only unapologetically radical, feminist, mission-driven, and majority women of color publishing collective." Their list is tremendous: big names like bell hooks, Vandana Shiva, and Howard Zinn, plus less well-known but no less important books from Incite!, Andrea Smith, Kristian Williams, and many more.

And they're in trouble, because Borders is in trouble, and the unfortunate thing about the publishing business is that the actual producers of actual content are generally at the mercy of retailers and distributors when it comes to our financial survival. Just like Bitch, South End is a nonprofit organization that relies on its community of readers to get how important media is to social justice and to back that understanding up with cold, hard cash.

Feminism In/Action: Detroit report back

Debbie Rasmussen — Thu, 08 May 2008 10:43:11 -0400

Some thoughts on privilege, agenda-setting, and what to do next

Lisa Jervis — Mon, 05 May 2008 15:17:46 -0400

So The Angry Black Woman has called this Carnival of Allies, which these days feels to me like the best idea ever, because I really need some guidance. One of the many, many things the events of the last month and change have taught me is that, um, to put it mildly, my anti-racist ally skills could use some honing.

What that means is that right now I need to listen to people who know more than me: to their analysis, to their experiences, to their strategies (not that I'm expecting anyone to hand me the answers on a silver platter, or that I think it's up to other people to tell me all about what's wrong with the world I live in, or that I plan to rely on others to do my intellectual heavy lifting, or that...yeah, you get the picture). And I'm eager to read what the carnival brings forth.

But if I just want to listen, why the hell am I talking?

Come talk about the action – and inaction – of feminism

Debbie Rasmussen — Tue, 29 Apr 2008 21:13:38 -0400

Please join these participatory discussions about how—and whether—feminism can become a transformative, justice-centered movement for social change.

How can we drive attention to the power, privilege, and marginalization that continue to play out in feminist communities, and how can those of us with power and privilege become genuine and effective allies to those without it?
How can we collectively create a feminist/media/justice movement that doesn't rely on white supremacy, class privilege, and economic exploitation?
Can the idea of feminism shift to foreground an uncompromising, transformative commitment to systemic social change, or is it time to evolve to new language?

Below are the places/dates I've scheduled so far (these conversations are being organized in conjunction with my Bitch fundraising/outreach travels):

Detroit: Sunday, May 4, from 2:00-4:00PM, co-organized with Detroit Feminists at The TrumbullPlex

Minneapolis: Saturday, May 10, from 4:00-6:00PM at Amazon Bookstore (not affiliated with the evil that is amazon.com), 4755 Chicago Ave

Madison: Wednesday, May 14, from 6:00-8:00PM at Room of One's Own Feminist Bookstore, 307 W. Johnson

Milwaukee: Sunday, May 18, from 3:00-5:00PM at Broad Vocabulary Feminist Bookstore, 2241 S. Kinnickinnic Ave

Other cities to come...

Report back: Tim Wise Speak Out (special guest dispatch)

Kyla Wagener — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:44:39 -0400

Special guest report from friend of Bitch Kyla Wagener...

I have yet to read Tim Wise's White Like Me: Reflections on Race from a Privileged Son (Soft Skull Press) or Affirmative Action: Racial Preference in Black and White (Routledge), but have heard tons of praise for his work. So I was excited for his appearance at the First Unitarian Church of Oakland earlier this month, an event sponsored by Speak Out!. I was a little wary when he took the mic and started speaking; his manner initially conjured up memories of some egotistical, "Check me out, I'm one of those aware white folks—I'm down!" types I've run into. But he ended up being sharp, funny, and—most important—aware of his role as an ally rather than a leader in the antiracist movement, acknowledging that the majority of his sources for information about race have been people of color. He was loud, but in a good way—not arrogant-bratty-white-boy loud.

Some thoughts on silence, and breaking it

Lisa Jervis — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 19:16:49 -0400

The sound of respectful listening is silence. The sound of complicity is also silence. I've been silent a lot lately. And sometimes I can't tell which is which.