pnwmom
pnwmom's JournalMichelle Obama at the Indian School Commencement: A More Perfect Graduation
http://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2016/06/michelle-obama-indian-school-commencement/485204/SANTA FE, N.M.— In a room redolent with ancestral and political histories, Michelle Obama recited four generations of her ancestors’ names as she delivered her second-to-last commencement speech as First Lady to an all Native American high school.
Obama stood on a stage bedecked with drums, rugs, beadwork, embroidery, baskets, and pots as she addressed the graduates of Santa Fe Indian School last Thursday. A Santo Domingo Pueblo girl presented her a gift: a Pendleton blanket that she arranged over the First Lady’s shoulders. Tewa dancers from Ohkay Owingeh performed as the graduates entered from two directions and walked in pairs. Many wore ceremonial dress of their pueblos, nations, and tribes.
The students represent a multinational demographic incorporating the 22 tribal nations of New Mexico, including the 19 Pueblos, Navajo Nation, and Jicarilla and Mescalero Apache tribes. The Indigenous Language Institute, which works on language preservation and revitalization, shares the campus.
Michelle Obama’s remarks at the Santa Fe Indian School came eight years after President Barack Obama’s “A More Perfect Union” speech on the 2008 campaign trail and two years after the First Couple’s visit to Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Nation in North Dakota. Before that July 2014 trip, Indian country had waited 15 years for a presidential visit.
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Chyanne Quintana, the salutatorian from Ohkay Owingeh and Santa Clara Pueblo, commented forcibly that the First Lady’s appearance at the ceremony permitted her to see a side of Indian Country rarely promoted by media. “We are graduating Native Americans. We are successful Native Americans,” she said in her remarks.
At this school, which was established by the U.S. government in 1890 to enforce a ruthless assimilation policy, Michelle Obama’s oratory was strikingly direct. “The traditions that this school was designed to destroy are now expressed in every square foot of this place,” she said. “Look at you now,” she continued, singling out cultural celebrations that include dances celebrating Popé, the leader of the 1680 pueblo revolt.
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A great blog post shows why so many people feel inspired by Hillary.
It's just a post in the comments, but this writer should write her own blog.
People don't support Hillary in spite of the "toxic stew" of political smears she has endured. Her dogged persistence in the face of the smears shows how strong she is.
http://www.shakesville.com/2016/05/she-shouldnt-have-to-navigate-this.html?m=1
By
Alpacabag
Some days I cry because I can't take everything the world throws at me. I'm broken in ways that I don't know if they'll ever be mended fully because of all the things the world has thrown at me.
Then I look at Hillary Clinton, and everything the world has thrown at her, and it takes my breath away that she has not only survived it, but become one of the most powerful and admired women in the world. She made herself into one of the most important women in our history by getting through it and using everything she's been through and everything she has made herself to help people, all people, but especially the ones who are most often overlooked. If we are very, very lucky, she will be the next president of the United States of America.
On the days when I feel particularly broken and I'm trying to glue myself back together and I have no idea which piece goes where, the idea that she is likely to be the first woman to be elected to the highest office in my country gives me a reason to reach for the glue again and figure out where this damn piece of me goes, I want to see her take the oath of office and see people salute her and stand up and play "Hail to the Chief" when she walks in the room. I want to see her sign bills and pardon a turkey and meet little girls who can dream about being president someday. I want to see her do all those things, not just for her, not just for all the people she'll help with her actions as president, but for all of the toxic stew she's had to endure. She never should have had to endure it, nor all of us our own toxic stews, but watching her do that would feel like the ultimate validation that some fights are worth fighting.
Where does Georgetown University start? By listening.
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06/03/opinion/where-does-georgetown-start-by-listening.html?action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=opinion-c-col-left-region®ion=opinion-c-col-left-region&WT.nav=opinion-c-col-left-regionThe story of the Jesuit priests who sold 272 enslaved African-Americans into bondage in the Deep South to save a struggling school that became Georgetown University dates back to 1838. That seems a long time ago, but pain and anguish are still deeply felt by the descendants of those who were sacrificed.
After student protests last fall, the university removed from two campus buildings the names of the two priests who arranged the sale. A working group of students, alumni, professors and others is exploring how to make amends for this history.
On the broader issue of racial injustice, the university will create a department of African-American studies and a research center to explore the enduring legacy of racism and segregation in the United States. But as it moves toward a decision on how best to address its own contribution to that legacy as well as its moral obligation to the descendants, it should think in terms of a grand gesture — certainly a permanent memorial and a recruitment and scholarship system that would encourage descendants to attend the university.
In April, The Times opened a window onto human trafficking at Georgetown. Last month, Rachel Swarns and Sona Patel followed up with interviews with some of the descendants. The family histories some recounted showed that slavery is nearer to the present, in both time and impact, than many Americans suspect.
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Spike Lee turned the Empire State Building ORANGE
for the National Gun Violence Awareness Day on June 2, and numerous politicians, activists, and other Americans wore orange to increase awareness of the need to reduce gun violence.
Elizabeth Warren tweeted about wearing orange, Senator Durbin, Gabby Gifford, Al Franken and others wore orange, including Hillary Clinton at her rallies.
Not Bernie, though. Either he couldn't be bothered to even wear an orange tie, or he disagrees with the anti gun-violence movement.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/06/03/gun-violence-prevention-group-with-ties-to-bloomberg-endorses-clinton/
http://www.10news.com/news/report-hillary-clinton-in-san-diego-thursday
http://tucson.com/news/local/tucson-s-wear-orange-event-to-reduce-gun-violence-begins/article_b796d70a-291e-11e6-b3e1-43babf5a1803.html
http://www.modbee.com/news/politics-government/election/article81405757.html
Cesar Chavez's son says his father would have supported Hillary.
And that his mother has already voted her, and that she'd be walking the precincts for Hillary if she could.
This is in reaction to a son-in-law claiming in campaign rallies that Chavez would have voted for Sanders.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/adriancarrasquillo/cesar-chavezs-son-not-true-that-my-father-would-have-support?utm_term=.koab0YvxD#.pwxvpYqDe
Villarino told the crowd if he was alive today, Chavez would support Sanders for president.
That energetic proclamation did not sit well with Paul Chavez, Cesar Chavez’s son and president of the Cesar Chavez Foundation, who told BuzzFeed News the family largely supports Hillary Clinton.
“The fact of the matter is most of us in the family that continue to work closely in the movement that my father began strongly support the candidacy of Hillary,” he said.
Paul Chavez said that support goes up to his mother, Helen Chavez, 88, who is in the hospital fighting an infection. Nevertheless, he said his mother has asked his sister to talk to him about running public service announcements for Clinton, urging people to get out to vote.
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Still, Paul Chavez called his father a “practical idealist” who would have seen a lot to like in Clinton’s worldview.
“He believed this country was big enough and great enough to offer its share of bounty to all of us, but he also knew you had to go to work everyday and provide results on a daily basis,” Paul Chavez said, before pointing to Clinton’s work for immigration policy, collective bargaining for farmworkers in California, and early childhood education for Latino children. “When I think about that and the work and track record of Hillary there is no question in my mind who my father would support.”
Judge says CA primary lawsuit could be appealed to the Int'l Court of the Hague.
He really said that, but he was just being snarky.
The "Voting defense" lawyers had brought a flimsy State case to Federal court, and they waited to the last minute to do it. And Federal Judge Alsup says he's through with them.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2016/06/01/judge-rejects-sanders-supporters-voting-suit.htm
In denying all relief, Alsup chided the plaintiffs for waiting until May 20 to file their lawsuit, and May 27 to file their motion for an injunction asking, among other things, to extend California's voter registration deadline until election day itself and allow unaffiliated voters to recast their votes.
"That alone is a showstopper," the judge said of the late filings, adding that their claims are state-law claims and "this is a federal court."
Alsup also said there is no reason to flood voters with a deluge of already-available information.
"There is absolutely no showing of a federal violation. That more information might be available in one county over another does not rise to the level of equal protection," Alsup said. "Citizens of California are smart enough to know what their rights are. I'm giving my order now so you can get your writ to the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals and then the United States Supreme Court, then the International Court of the Hague. But you're done in federal court."
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Jim Obergefell, the man who helped make marriage equality legal, endorses Hillary.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hillary-clinton-jim-obergefell_us_564a0e62e4b045bf3df00d6cJim Obergefell, the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court’s landmark marriage equality case, announced his support for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton on Monday.
“We have fought to not only change laws, but to change hearts, and now we need a President who will help us fight to eliminate the injustices that occur regularly in our community, and the best person to do that is Hillary Clinton,” Obergefell said in a statement. “Hillary is a proven leader who will not only ensure that states are implementing marriage equality, but will work to end discrimination in our community whether it’s by passing the Equality Act or through state measures.”
The Supreme Court legalized marriage equality nationwide in June, after Obergefell and others went before the court and asked the justices to strike down state same-sex marriage bans that barred them from getting married.
Obergefell married John Arthur, his partner of 20 years, aboard a medical jet in Maryland in 2013, while Arthur was suffering from ALS. Arthur passed away in October of that year, three months after the couple filed their lawsuit to force their home state of Ohio to recognize Obergefell as Arthur’s surviving spouse.
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Only 71 more delegates for Hillary to reach the "magic number."
According to the AP, Hillary only needs 71 pledged delegates to reach the "magic number" -- the majority of the combined pledged and superdelegates. This would require about 9% of the remaining 781 outstanding pledged delegates.
In every election since the super delegates were created in 1984, the MSM has "called" the winner when this "magic number" -- half of ALL the delegates, counting ALL the delegates -- is reached.
Looking at pledged delegates only, to win the majority of them, Hillary only needs 33% of remaining pledged delegates.
To win the majority of pledged delegates Bernie needs 67% of the pledged delegates in ALL the remaining states.
So far, in only one primary (excluding caucuses), has Bernie won at least 67% -- Vermont.In only one other primary -- New Hampshire -- has he gotten even 60%.
Vermont and NH are 95% and 94% white, respectively. In all of the primaries Bernie has won, except for Oklahoma, the states had at least 79.9% white-only voters. (Greater than the 77.4% average in the U.S.)
There are only 73% white-only voters in California and New Jersey.
So, just to get his needed 67% in California, Bernie would have to do better than he has done in any primary outside of Vermont, and in a much more diverse state.
PRIMARIES BERNIE WON PERCENT WHITE-ONLY`
Indiana 52.5 86.1
Michigan 49.8 79.9
New Hampshire 60.4 94.
Oklahoma 51.9 75.1
Oregon 56.0 87.9
Rhode Island 54.6 85.1
Vermont 86.1 95.
West Virginia 51.4 93.7
Wisconsin 56.6 87.8
California, New Jersey, and New Mexico are all primaries.
(PERCENT WHITE-ONLY)
California 73.2
New Jersey 73.
New Mexico 82.8
AP DELEGATE TRACKER
https://interactives.ap.org/2016/delegate-tracker/
PRIMARY/CAUCUS RESULTS
http://www.politico.com/2016-election/results/map/president
US Demographics
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/00
The limits of white compassion
***Posted to the African American Group***
Imagine if black lives mattered as much as one gorilla's.
http://www.salon.com/2016/05/31/the_limits_of_white_compassion_imagine_if_black_lives_mattered_as_much_as_one_animals/
Over the past few days, my Facebook Timeline has been filled with fellow Cincinnati natives weighing in on the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden’s decision to execute a silverback gorilla named Harambe, thus ensuring the safety of the small child who fell into the gorilla’s habitat. If people are reacting out of the compassion we are taught to exercise toward non-human animals, the “passion” root is equally present: people of various ages, races, and general points of view are hurt and angry over Harambe’s death. They call for apology, for petition, for policy change, for the parent of the fallen child to be held responsible somehow. It’s not okay to kill a gorilla.
The people are passionately compassionate—and with effect. The story is hitting national media; yesterday my partner caught footage of the encounter on CNN. Clearly, it matters how people feel, what they say about what is happening around them; their questions and their demands. In turn, the Zoo has defended its actions while lamenting its loss. Various experts have put forth their now moot prognoses of Harambe’s possible actions. There’s buzz, and meaning, memes, and some strange sort of solidarity in the air.
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At the moment, the general public is demonstrating more compassion toward a gorilla than toward Black people who were (are!) gunned down by police at an alarming rate in this country. Harambe is mourned more (com)passionately than the Black humans with whom gorillas have historically and degradingly been compared. Harambe’s death by shooting—an isolated, logical decision—is, apparently, less acceptable than the systemized, institutionally-protected and -reinforced deaths of Samuel DuBose and Paul Gaston by bullets, just the same. When Black people are killed by cops, whether in Cincinnati or anywhere else in the U.S., it is “what’s supposed to happen,” and so: no outrage. When a gorilla, due to a random, unforeseen event, is killed by zookeepers, hearts bleed. How can we be so misguidedly selective about the bodies we invest compassion in?
Luckily, compassion is a limitless resource. We don’t have to choose between loving people and loving non-human animals, between demanding some meaningful outcome of Harambe’s death and demanding a full renovation of our supposed justice system. The reason that more compassion is being shown toward Harambe than toward Black people—those named above and multitudinous others—is simply that while Americans are encouraged from infancy to love and honor animals, we are taught from that same early age, regardless of our race, that Black people are something less than human. Apparently, maybe something even less than animal.
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*** Posted to the African American Group***
I can't help but wonder if a lot of the hate being directed at this traumatized mother who had to watch her toddler being tossed around by a gorilla has to do with this woman's color.
http://heavy.com/news/2016/05/michelle-gregg-photos-pictures-deonne-dickerson-cincinnati-mother-mom-little-blossoms-son-isaiah-facebook/
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