Colorlines Magazine articles from June 2003

Colorlines Magazine archives from June 2003

Note from the editor.
June 22, 2003... The invasion began as we started work on this issue and now, as we go to press, Bush is declaring the war in Iraq is over. This issue's cover stories attempt to connect the war doctrine with U.S. aggression toward targets within its...

Note from the publisher.
June 22, 2003... While images of statues toppling in Baghdad lead the news, other important trends and actions are affecting people of color in the U.S. and abroad. As the word "homeland" takes on a repressive meaning, Francis Calpotura and Wendy Call write...

Staffing the homeland: the feds are avidly pursuing "diversity" hires, but what are the risks of representing at security and intelligence agencies? (Enemies of the State).
June 22, 2003... The first day of 4700, the year of the Ram, came and went without great fanfare for most Americans. But if you happen to be one of the 175,000 readers of Asian Week newspaper you may have stumbled upon the tastefully designed half-page ad...

Buffalo soldiers: Glen Ford examines the U.S. military's track record of racial hostilities. (Enemies of the State).
June 22, 2003... "Mama, when I get over there I have the feeling they are going to arrest me just because of the name that I have carried." That's how Quran Bilal remembers a parting conversation with her son, 31-year-old Sgt. Hasan Karim Akbar, now facing...

Bush's winning hand: racial tokens in the administration. (Enemies of the State).
June 22, 2003... Day Job: Assistant Attorney General Enemy Agent: Viet D. Dinh Hideout: Department of Justice Resume highlights: Senate Whitewater Committee, Georgetown University Law profesor Accomplices: John Ashcroft, Pete Domenici, Bob...

Rallying around the flag: why some people of color support Bush's "War on Terror".
June 22, 2003... Jennifer Thorpe, president of the Students United for America, found her calling in the war against terrorism. Her group sends gifts to the troops and holds rallies at Columbia University supporting the war effort. Thorpe, who is white, proudly...

Special registration; prophecy and protest: Bangladeshis added to fated list. (Enemies of the State).
June 22, 2003... Reports from three immigrant communities targeted by the nationwide call to turn themselves in. While news of U.S. military attacks abroad led the front pages, on the less-flashy domestic front the "war on terror" has been vastly...

Empty shops, empty promises for Coney Island Pakistanis. (Enemies of the State).
June 22, 2003... Nobody knows exactly how many Pakistanis have left New York in the last several months, but residents of Brooklyn's "Little Pakistan" on Coney Island Avenue talk of an exodus. "Many shops have closed," says Ashgar Choudhri, a man who...

Undoing the dream: Iranians look for "somewhere civilized" to call home. (Enemies of the State).
June 22, 2003... When Houman Mortazavi left his horneland of Iran for the United States six years ago, he brought with him grand visions of opportunity and freedom that he believed awaited him in his new country. "I really bought into the open, western...

Silencing dissent: the cases of three Palestinian activists targeted by FBI probes show how government agencies may use immigration and counterterrorism measures to crack down on political activity. (Enemies of the State).
June 22, 2003... At 5:45 a.m. on April 26, 2002, two New York police detectives and a federal agent pounded on the door of Bernard McFall's apartment in the Lefrak City housing development in Queens. McFall stumbled out of bed and made his way to the door....

A journey home: in 1974, Lorenza Calpotura left the Philippines to work as a nurse's aide in the U.S. The remittances she sent back to her family began her son's journey to America. (To the Point).
June 22, 2003... It came through a friend or a relative, frequently in a brown manila envelope stamped "Esteva Financial Services." Once a month, my father received a few thousand pesos in a remittance from my mother who worked two jobs in her adopted home of...

The genetics of difference: what genetic discovery and the modern biology of "race" mean for communities of color fighting health inequities.
June 22, 2003... In recent years, policymakers have begun rumblings about reducing health and health care inequalities in the United States. At the same time, the advent of the Human Genome Project (HGP) and the development of genetic technologies have given...

Combating Coca-Cola and the global conquistadores: following a tradition of resistance that goes back to pre-Columbian days, indigenous youth organizers in southern Mexico take on transnationals and the free-trade invasion. (Action).
June 22, 2003... On Indigenous Peoples' Day, October 12, 2002, an other-earthly growl rose from the center of Juchitan, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. More than 500 people--most in their teens and early 20s, nearly all indigenous--marched out of the zocalo, or...

Being between: can multiracial Americans form a cohesive anti-racist movement beyond identity politics and Tiger Woods chic? (Action).
June 22, 2003... So much of being mixed race these days seems about having to explain, always answering "What are you?" for others and for one's self. And I'm tired of it. This variation of identity politics confronts the annoying question, but then gets hung...

Yo, Yao! What does the "Ming Dynasty" tell us about race and transnational diplomacy in the NBA? (Culture).
June 22, 2003... Fans and commentators alike have heralded Yao Ming's arrival and acceptance in the NBA as an indicator of the increasing social standing of Asians in the U.S., and the breaking down of boundaries with China. But in actuality, the Rockets...

Highly offensive: Karen Juanita Carrillo examines the ongoing currency of racist curios. (Culture).
June 22, 2003... "Ay, yie-yie-yieeee! "I am dee Frito Bandito!" the Frito-Lay Company's infamously caricatured Mexican American advertising mascot used to sing on TV commercials: "I love Frito's Corn Chips/I love dem I do/I love Ftito's Corn Chips/I take...

Culture-trafficking for the 21st century: meet the cross-cultural, postcolonial performer who takes on everyone from George W. to J-Lo. (Culture).
June 22, 2003... The consummate politicized performance artist and radical linguist, Guillermo Gomez-Pena, has fearlessly explored and exposed the underbelly of American culture. In the 25 years since he emigrated to the U.S. from Mexico, he's crucified himself...

War Talk. (Books).
June 22, 2003... By Arundhati Roy Based on this book's title and timing, readers may expect a critique of the U.S. empire's most recent attempt to "democratize" a sovereign nation by dropping bombs, deposing its (previously U.S.-backed) leaders, and...

Mulatto America: at the Crossroads of Black and White Culture; a Social History. (Books).
June 22, 2003... By Stephan Talty The notion that American culture is a hybridization of various cultures, with layers of assimilation--cultural, structural, marital--at its core is not far-fetched. Neither is the idea that the relationship of black and...

Friends for life (VP). (Buju Banton).
June 22, 2003... Longtime reggae ambassador and "Voice of Jamaica" Banton comes back with a solid and mature album of fiery consciousness that will hopefully give him the stateside success he deserves. With dancehall all the rage at the clubs these days, see...

Mambo sinuendo (Nonesuch). (Ry Cooder and Manuel Galban).
June 22, 2003... Buena Vista Social-ite Cooder teams with legendary Cuban guitarist Galban on this infectious collection of duets. The arrangements are gorgeous and the twangy, seductive dialogue between Cooder and Galban's guitars are full of a borderless,...

Age (Aesthetics). (Daniel Givens).
June 22, 2003... This Chicago-based weirdo's debut is an engaging mix of liberation poetry, techno-influenced production and Sun Ra-styled astro traveling jazz. Like a one-man Innerzone Orchestra, Givens sets out to define himself somewhere between the epic,...

A little deeper (Polydor). (Ms. Dynamite).
June 22, 2003... Hailing from the UK's underground 2-step/garage scene, Ms. Dynamite's stateside debut is a poignant and thought-provoking masterpiece that blends styles and moods with a wicked ease.

Death certificate (Priority reissue). (Ice Cube).
June 22, 2003... Most people didn't truly understand how powerful Cube's second solo album was until it was too late. Released in 1991, Death Certificate is still one of the most moving, indignant, controversial, and perversely hopeful hip-hop albums ever. This...

Electro bamakao (Palm). (Mamani Keita).
June 22, 2003... Malian songstress Mamani Keita lends her effortless, sweeping vocals to the loop and sample-driven production of Marc Minelli, Jazz, pop, traditional Malian aesthetics and electronic dance music come together organically for this fabulous...

Deep water slang (raptivism). (Zion I).
June 22, 2003... After a bad mess of label problems--and after their debut, Mind Over Matter, was criminally slept-on--Oakland's fantastic, futuristic duo returns with a second album full of personality, introspection and hot beats.

Today's front pages. (Getting the News).
June 22, 2003... http://www.newseum.org/todaysfrontpages If you lack access to international newspapers, this website provides access to 212 front pages of 29 countries, including countries whose populations are largely non-white, such as India, Jamaica,...

Common dreams news. (Getting the News).
June 22, 2003... http://www.commondreams.org The site contains hundreds of links to other progressive publications, and specializes in opinion editorials that are succinct, yet thought provoking and informative. The progressive news wire has daily updates...

One world.net. (Getting the News).
June 22, 2003... http://www.oneworld.net Provides articles selected by over 1,500 organizations from around the globe committed to human rights, social justice, and sustainable living. Each weekday the site is updated with news, essays, and articles--many...

Foreign media reaction. (Getting the News).
June 22, 2003... http://usinfo.state.gov/products/medreac.htm To see what news the U.S. government is tracking, check this website maintained by the Department of State. The site contains a global round-up of editorials and commentary from various media...