Emmett Till, the 14 year old boy killed by white Southerners, is once again at the center of controversy over who gets to tell his story. This time, an opera by two women, one Black, one white.
Words of wisdom indeed. It is sad to see such misguided, "politically correct" attacks that undermine the much-needed effort to eliminate racial discrimination wherever it rears its ugly head. As is noted in this piece, the ongoing Senate confirmation hearings of Ketanji Brown Jackson are a disgraceful example of open, blatant racism that unfortunately appeals to too many people in the USA. This is where attacks should be directed!
All arts are based in 'appropriation' whether it be of shape, subject and colour by painters, or subject, language and context by writers. The word 'appropriation' itself (as currently used negatively) would seem to negate even thinking about the issues that surround us and demand response. Rather it should be seen as the sincerest form of empathy.
It is evocative to see the photo of Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett Till's mother.
I don't know enough to make a comment about whether the cons outweigh the pros with Clare Coss's involvement in this opera.
While I agree that there are some legitimate aspects of the protest, I also observe that effective protests have to translate into meaningful changes toward inclusivity. As well, policies have to truly improve the economic well being and political voice of racialized groups.
Too often, protest efforts translate only superficially to change.
In San Francisco, the Black Lives Matter protests have led to more black people being hired in various San Francisco small businesses, but most tech companies haven't hired and trained black people in significant numbers to make it viable for them to remain living in the city:
From a city that used to have a population that was about 13% black in the 1960s, they now compose less than 5% of the city's population.
Meanwhile, a lot of the city's issues are focused on other things. We've had a slow streets initiative that mostly benefits very wealthy people. The city has spent months arguing about whether JFK Boulevard in Golden Gate Park should be made car free. People went so far as to argue that this would mitigate climate change. Golden Gate Park is surrounded almost entirely by white and Asian neighborhoods.
This is not to say that liberals don't care about racialized people in San Francisco. It's just that most liberals (white and otherwise), don't spend much time digging down into a detailed understanding of the issues, and support for policies to address those issues, to a degree that would allow significant improvements in the lives of racialized people.
Should the opera go on? If it were cancelled, it probably would mean that some black people would lose their jobs. At the same time, perhaps one issue here is that there are few similar operas with entirely black leads and writers.
Words of wisdom indeed. It is sad to see such misguided, "politically correct" attacks that undermine the much-needed effort to eliminate racial discrimination wherever it rears its ugly head. As is noted in this piece, the ongoing Senate confirmation hearings of Ketanji Brown Jackson are a disgraceful example of open, blatant racism that unfortunately appeals to too many people in the USA. This is where attacks should be directed!
So incredibly important to get this message out to people!
All arts are based in 'appropriation' whether it be of shape, subject and colour by painters, or subject, language and context by writers. The word 'appropriation' itself (as currently used negatively) would seem to negate even thinking about the issues that surround us and demand response. Rather it should be seen as the sincerest form of empathy.
It is evocative to see the photo of Mamie Till-Mobley, Emmett Till's mother.
I don't know enough to make a comment about whether the cons outweigh the pros with Clare Coss's involvement in this opera.
While I agree that there are some legitimate aspects of the protest, I also observe that effective protests have to translate into meaningful changes toward inclusivity. As well, policies have to truly improve the economic well being and political voice of racialized groups.
Too often, protest efforts translate only superficially to change.
In San Francisco, the Black Lives Matter protests have led to more black people being hired in various San Francisco small businesses, but most tech companies haven't hired and trained black people in significant numbers to make it viable for them to remain living in the city:
https://www.businessinsider.com/being-black-in-silicon-valley-2016-7?op=1
From a city that used to have a population that was about 13% black in the 1960s, they now compose less than 5% of the city's population.
Meanwhile, a lot of the city's issues are focused on other things. We've had a slow streets initiative that mostly benefits very wealthy people. The city has spent months arguing about whether JFK Boulevard in Golden Gate Park should be made car free. People went so far as to argue that this would mitigate climate change. Golden Gate Park is surrounded almost entirely by white and Asian neighborhoods.
This is not to say that liberals don't care about racialized people in San Francisco. It's just that most liberals (white and otherwise), don't spend much time digging down into a detailed understanding of the issues, and support for policies to address those issues, to a degree that would allow significant improvements in the lives of racialized people.
Should the opera go on? If it were cancelled, it probably would mean that some black people would lose their jobs. At the same time, perhaps one issue here is that there are few similar operas with entirely black leads and writers.