As I promised I’ve added a little more clarity to the reason why I believe the Black Movement has been killed by the “Black” Obama. I make a point of Obama’s “Blackness” because I believe it has silenced the voice of the “Black” working class. Let’s face it… who among “Black Americans” really want’s to publicly criticize the First Black President of theUnited States of America? I believe it is hurting our ability to see straight. Where are the “Black” leaders that will challenge Obama openly to do right by the people?
Archive for the ‘Community’ Category
Help Get Out the Vote!
Sunday, November 1st, 2009
Washington:
Who we are: Approve Referendum 71 is the campaign to preserve domestic partnerships in Washington State. By voting to approve, voters retain the domestic partnership laws that were passed during this year’s legislative session, including using sick leave to care for a partner, adoption rights, insurance rights, and more.
What we need: We need phone bankers to get our supporters out to vote. Washington is an all mail-in ballot state, and we need to ensure our supporters put their ballots in the mail. Also, youth turnout is a critical component of our campaign, and youth turnout historically drops in off-year elections. So we need a lot of help to turn them out.
How you do it: Sign up here to make remote calls for Approve 71. We’ll then contact you for a training, and you can make GOTV calls.
Maine:
Who we are: The No On 1/Protect Maine Equality campaign is working to protect Maine’s recently-passed law legalizing marriage equality for same-sex couples. Our opponents have put the issue on the ballot for Nov 3, 2009. Because of Maine’s early voting election laws, people are already voting at the polls, so we need help immediately to turn out our side at the polls.
What we need: We need you to devote a few hours to Call for Equality. Call for Equality is a virtual phonebank set up so that you can call Maine voters wherever you are. Much of Maine is rural, where canvassing isn’t effective, so we need to reach these voters- along with other supporters- by phone. All you need is a phone and internet connection. No experience required! We’ll provide the training, and all you need is a a few hours to help get a win in Maine.
How you do it: Click here to sign up for a training and your shift. There are lots of times available for your convenience.
Kalamazoo, MI:
Who We Are: The Yes on Ordinance 1856 / One Kalamazoo campaign is working in Michigan to support the City Commission of Kalamazoo’s twice approved ordinance for housing, employment, and public accommodation protections for gay and transgender residents. Opponents forced a public referendum on the ordinance so dedicated local volunteers, led by former Stonewall Democrats Executive Director Jon Hoadley, are working to ensure voters say YES to fairness and equality and keep Ordinance 1856.
Why The Urgency: In the final weeks, the opposition has gone all out with aggressive disinformation and misleading red herrings to try to defeat the ordinance. This includes signs that say “No to Discrimination” (even though voting No actually supports continued discrimination of GLBT residents), transphobic door hangers and fliers, and now radio ads that falsely suggest that criminal behavior will become legal when this simply isn’t true. The Yes on Ordinance 1856 supporters are better organized but many voters who want to vote for gay and transgender people are getting confused by the opposition.
How To Help:
1) Help the One Kalamazoo campaign raise a final $10,000 specifically dedicated to fight back against the lies on the local TV and radio airwaves and fully fund the campaign’s final field and GOTV efforts.
Give here: http://www.actblue.com/page/3-2-1-countdown
2) If you live nearby and can physically volunteer in Kalamazoo sign up here. If you know anyone that lives in Kalamazoo, use the One Kalamazoo campaign’s online canvass tool to remind those voters that they need to vote on November 3rd and vote YES on Ordinance 1856 to support equality for gay and transgender people.
Contact voters: http://www.onekalamazoo.com/tellfriends2
Community Action
Tuesday, October 6th, 2009From:
Well, it’s been said, “it takes a village”, and the village of Humboldt came together and moved a mountain. We were able to reach Carol Bruno from People Productions this morning and had a nice conversation with her about our concerns.
She had met with Gil Miracle, the owner of Nocturnum, and they decided to cancel the Buju Banton performance scheduled for this Sunday night, October 11, 2009 due to all the negative feedback they have received. We want to thank everyone who took the time to email and call Carol and Gil with their concerns. We received many copies of emails that were so well written, coming from the hearts of our community members. It was very touching to read them all. Carol and Gil sent me this letter shortly after our phone call this morning:
October 5th, 2009
TO: Todd Larsen/ Queer Humboldt
FROM: Carol Bruno/ People Productions Gil Miracle/ NocturnumGreetings Todd, This email is to confirm to you that after lengthy consideration, Gil and myself decided that we will cancel the upcoming Buju Banton concert at the Nocturnum Nightclub scheduled for the October 11th, 2009. We have been diligently speaking with the management and various activists over the past two weeks in an effort to help establish a dialogue for discussions. We care about our local gay community.
Buju did issue a statement today that we have forwarded to you today, but it doesn’t change our decision. We will continue towards positive, constructive solutions. We regret any inconveniences this has caused to our community. We are very appreciative that Carol and Gil heard the community’s concerns and took this action. As you may or may not know, we are not alone in having Buju Banton’s concert’s cancelled. Just take a look at the list of cities that have cancelled his performances for his most recent tour: http://cancelbujubanton.wetpaint.com/ Buju Banton releases a press release today that can be found here: http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/buju-bantons-rasta-got-soul-us-tour-a-success-63562192.html. Buju’s record company’s press release includes the statement:
“Throughout my travels as an artist, I have witnessed first hand the senseless atrocities being suffered by innocent people around the world and my heart goes out to them. I do not condone violence against anyone, including gays, and I have spent my career rallying against violence and injustice through music. At this point, I can only hope that my body of work speaks for itself and that anyone still offended by the lyrics of my youth will take the time to explore my catalog or come to one of my shows before reducing my character and entire musical repertoire to a single song.” While we think this is a good first step, it certainly doesn’t address all his documented anti-gay statements and relatively recent performances taken place after “the lyrics off his youth” of his hateful song, “Boom Bye Bye”.
For details on the lyrics of the song, visit: http://www.jamaicancaves.org/boom-bye-bye-lyrics.html – Or hear him sing on YouTube at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWa7fzeX3xo
We also want to recognize some of the local representatives we have here in Humboldt that were drafting a letter today in support of cancelling the performance. Supervisor Mark Lovelace, Supervisor Bonnie Neely, Eureka City Councilwoman Linda Atkins and Arcata City Councilman, Shane Brinton were the first to sign on to a drafted letter that was to be presented tomorrow at the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors 1:30pm meeting.
We also want to thank our local print and radio outlets. KMUD this morning featured David Cobb on the NoHum report speaking about Buju Banton’s scheduled performance. Tomorrow, Times Standard Reporter, Thadeus Greenson, will have an article in the Times Standard on the performance cancellation. And Bob Doran at the North Coast Journal has been in touch with us all weekend. We are lucky to live in such a wonderful community as we have here in Humboldt. Thank you all for your quick and genuine concern to this issue.
Homophobic Singer Boycotted in California
Sunday, October 4th, 2009
Here’s an email I recently received. Apparently this character has gotten the boot before.
SPEAK UP ON TUESDAY AND BEFORE
(To read the original open letter, click here or at the link on the left.)
- Jimmy Smith, jrsmith@co.humboldt.ca.us , 707 476 2391
- Clif Clendenen, cclendenen@co.humboldt.ca.us , 707 476 2392
- Mark Lovelace, mlovelace@co.humboldt.ca.us , 707 476 2393
- Bonnie Neely, bonnie.neely@co.humboldt.ca.us , 707 476 2394
- Jill Duffy, jduffy@co.humboldt.ca.us , 707 476 2395
Friday, October 2, 2009
AN OPEN LETTER TO HUMBOLDT
On June 9 2004, Brian Williamson was found murdered at his home. Williamson was the public face of the gay rights movement in Jamaica, one of the most homophobic places on the planet. Rebecca Schleifer of Human Rights Watch arrived at Williamson’s house to find a crowd singing and dancing.
People were singing a reggae song, Boom Bye Bye, written by Mark Myrie, a reggae performer who goes by the stage name Buju Banton.
This song calls for the murder of gay people, recommending the Uzi machine gun.
It calls for throwing acid in our faces.
Promoter Carol Bruno of People Productions is paying Buju Banton to perform in Eureka. Gil Miracle, owner of the new venue Nocturnum, has rented his space to Bruno. Local newspapers are carrying advertising.
Click here for national info from cancelbujubarton.wetpaint.com.
Bruno will tell you that Banton wrote Boom Bye Bye when he was fifteen. She won’t tell you he still sells it and profits.
She’ll tell you most of his songs are about peace and love. She won’t tell you he says he’s at war with the faggots.
Here’s part of an open letter from Lorrie L. Jean, CEO of Los Angeles’ gay and lesbian center. She’s responding to an open letter from Banton’s manager:
While ’setting the record straight,’ you didn’t mention that in 2007, when some of Banton’s European concerts were threatened with cancellation, he signed the ‘Reggae Compassionate Act’ (under his real name: Mark Myrie) agreeing (among other things) to never perform anti-gay songs. Perhaps you neglected to mention this, because just weeks later, Banton denied he ever signed it and continued to perform ‘Boom, Bye Bye.’
He was videotaped singing it in Miami in 2006, and sang it in Guyana in 2007.
In 2005, Banton was personally involved in an attack on six gay men in Jamaica.
Here’s a quote from Amnesty International’s 2005 Annual Report:
“popular musician Buju Banton was charged with assaulting six men who he alleged were homosexuals. His song lyrics repeatedly advocated violence against gay men and lesbians.”
Bruno will tell you Banton was never convicted. She won’t tell you that the witnesses never showed at trial. One man lost an eye.
Imagine for a moment if a singer were coming to town who advocated the violent murder of interracial couples, who’d written a song that was played as a celebration at such murders, who refused to renounce violence against such couples, and who still profited from the song.
Imagine that the singer’s promoter explained that most of his songs were about God’s love, and complained that interracial couples couldn’t just “get over it.”
Imagine that the singer had personally been involved in a violent assault on an interracial couple, in which one lost an eye.
How would you feel? How would you feel if you were part of an interracial couple, or had a friend or friends in one?
I understand that many of those who will go to the concert (if it happens) are not anti-gay. Many will have heard and believed the lies that Bruno and others spread in order to make blood money off performances by people like Banton. Many will idealistically defend free speech and the right of an artist to “freedom of expression.”
If this concert goes on, I know there will be a large group outside Nocturnum, exercising our rights to freedom of expression as well. Our point will be simple: if you won’t renounce your advocacy of our murder, we don’t want you in Eureka.
