Tag Archives: Race and ethnicity
Why stereotypes need to die, cont’d: Hollywood and African men
Brilliant: Andrew Revkin adds: The tendency to focus on the grim side of any issue, or group, goes far beyond the movies, of course. [...] The bottom line, for me, is that there is a great opportunity for nonprofit groups, … Continue reading
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Why stereotypes need to die, cont’d: “Do I look suspicious?”
In the wake of the killing of Trayvon Martin, the men of Howard University have put together a compelling video that challenges racial profiling and reminds us of its lethal consequences: On a related note: In a previous post on … Continue reading
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Miscellany, and an apology for long silence
I’ve been away from this blog recently, trying to devote some more time to fiction writing (but not yet quite comfortable enough to talk about that personal creative process, as I know others do). Working on this blog has been, … Continue reading
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True patriotism, cont’d
From the chapter “We Are Quintessential Americans” in Touré’s book Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?: Many people told me they sense in Black Americans an urge to reject America before it rejects us. I understand that. It makes perfect sense as … Continue reading
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“When you remove the burden of representation, as an artist you get wings”: Touré on post-blackness
Cultural critic Touré, author of Who’s Afraid of Post-Blackness?, has a fascinating conversation with Soundcheck host John Schaefer about the increasingly fluid relationship between identity and race (something I occasionally try to get at in my own series of posts … Continue reading
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Why stereotypes need to die, cont’d
Because sometimes what you think is a dirty racist look isn’t really a dirty racist look at all: I feel like people don’t give this country enough credit to show truly how embracing of people it really is. [...] Last … Continue reading
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On identity beyond ethnicity (and other boundaries), cont’d: Tom Piazza on music, empathy, and the limits of “authenticity”
In an NPR interview, Tom Piazza discusses his collection of essays Devil Sent the Rain: Music and Writing in Desperate America. He points out that country music singer Jimmy Rodgers “crossed a lot of lines that, I think, at that … Continue reading
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What is an American?
America is 235 years old this week, so it seems like an appropriate time to ask: What does it mean, today, to be American? Some perspectives below:
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On identity beyond ethnicity, cont’d: “I am a Japanese writer”
From Dany Laferrière’s novel I Am a Japanese Writer: The space police help identify you (Where do you come from?). Born in the Caribbean, I automatically became a Caribbean writer. The bookstore, the library and the university rushed to pin … Continue reading
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On identity beyond ethnicity, cont’d: Donald Glover likes white stuff
Actor, comedian, writer, and rapper Donald Glover is insanely and unfairly talented. A daring, subversive, puckish spirit runs through all of his work — whether riffing on racial stereotypes in his standup routine, writing for Tina Fey’s 30 Rock, spitting … Continue reading
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