Saturday
Oct272007
STOP FUNDING FOOLISHNESS:New York MAY Pull $84 MILLION From Universal Music over Title of Nas Album
Saturday, October 27, 2007 at 9:26AM The Blogmother
I see folks FINALLY got my memo about STOP FUNDING FOOLISHNESS! ( Get the T-shirt already). I have ALWAYS maintained that folks have the right to say whatever foolishness they want to. I just don't want to pay for it. POWER SPEAKS TO POWER. Money is power.
I was actually going to post on the Sunday evening, but folks are blowing up my mailbox with it so I figured I had better get it up here for y'all.
Politicians in New York are urging the Comptroller to withdraw $84 Million dollars that the state pension fund has invested in Universal Music and it's parent company Vivendi. OUCH! They are so not playing with folks. SOURCE
You can do the same thing in your state. Almost EVERY if not ALL states have a public pension or retirement plan and by legislative, executive, administrative or action by the board of directors of the plan, they can set a policy to DIVEST from particular countries or companies. In Texas, we recently divested from Sudan.
You don't have to go to Washington, DC, you can go to your state representative and state senator. Ask them to stop sending BILLIONS of dollars to the Misogyny Industrial Complex. They can ignore folks holding placards, but having the largest institutional investors heading for the hills? That should be a concern.
For too long we've focused on individual artists. Boycotted records and songs. It is time to go after the BIG money and that resides with the corporate overlords. That means divesting from the Entertainment Industrial Complex and targeting advertisers of radio, television, and print. You saw what we did with THAT SHOW and XXLmag.com in less than a DAY. It really is not as hard as they want you to believe. We CAN Defund the War on Black Women.
And YES, I noticed it took the N-word to make this happen and the state of New York appears to have been content to purchase Universal stock while it was engaged in the War on Black Women, but this is a potentially powerful object lesson for all of us.
Take time next week to call up your local state representative (their staff actually) and ask them about the likelihood of getting the same type of action in your state.
Again, you can say what you want, I just don't want to pay for it.
Folks Keep asking why Black women get targeted by this industry in this manner... BECAUSE WE LET THEM. Everybody KNOWS that there are certain groups in this country that you do not mess with under any circumstances. There are certain words you do not use. Poor Halle Berry had to BEG Jay Leno and NBC to edit out her appearance when she made a joke about a picture of a "Jewish cousin" yet DL Hughley was all up on Jay's couch insulting and demeaning Black women and his publicist is promoting his comments by using his Rutgers attack in advertising for his show.
But Black folks just sit back and let folks sell us down river over and over again and we do absolutely nothing.
We're going to be busy in 2008. It is time to put out some burning crosses folks are placing on the lawns of Black women. It is time to DEFUND THE WAR ON BLACK WOMEN! If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your daughters.
Earlier this week I asked how many of you are REALLY TICKED OFF at all of these "leaders" who have completely ignored Dunbar Village, a crime against humanity right here in the United States of America. Not just Dunbar Village, but how many of you have heard of Angela Dawson?
Come January, the Black folks in South Carolina may very well be the most powerful Black people on planet earth. They will be deciding basically who will be the Democratic Candidate for president. If Obama doesn't win SC, its basically over. Same for Edwards. Hillary can survive a loss, but if Edwards or Obama manage to win, they can make it a real battle as opposed to a coronation.
Well, on Thursday, January 17, 2008 there is a CBC-sponsored debate scheduled in Myrtle Beach, SC:
The eyes of the Black political universe will be on Myrtle Beach, SC and I say we ought to try to direct those EYEBALLS to the fact that not a single one of the Democratic candidates for president has said a single WORD about Dunbar Village. ALL of them know about it.
On August 7,2007, we called Senator Obama's Washington office. I was cut off by the staffer, told the Senator already knew abotu Dunbar Village and would be issuing a statement. I asked "When can we expect one so I can put it on my site?" she said, "Two Hours." Almost three months later, Obama is still SILENT!
Hillary's staff at the Senate Office didn't know about it ( the campaign did), but said that they would " Make the Senator aware of it." Three monts later. Clinton is still SILENT even though ESSENCE did a huge special report on Dunbar Village in the same magazine as a huge interview with Hillary Clinton. I gues her staffers only read the pages with her pictures on them.
And who can forget John Edward's campaign response to hearing about Dunbar Village... they sent us fund raising emails in response to our calls about these poor Black folks down in West Palm Beach, FL.
I've created a Google Group to act as the What About Our Daughters? Action Center. If you are interested in going to SC to basically shame these people into speaking out about this horrible crime, come on over and join the group and work on organizing. This Immoral Indifference is absolutely ridiculous and apparently asking nicely won't work. We're going to have to print up T-shirts with 3 inch letters that scream "HILLARY CLINTON DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN AND CHILDREN","OBAMA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN AND CHILDRN!", and "JOHN EDWARDS DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN AND CHILDREN" when all these folks had to do was ger a high school intern to type up a two page statement saying "We know. We Care and We're Concerned".
If you are interested, join the WAOD Action Center on Google Groups.
Um no it is not. yes there was the actual crime and the criminal justice system is working its way out despite the fact that only 4 suspects out of ten attackers are in custody and the Chief Delsa Bush, thinks that the $1,000 reward is suffiencient to gain additional information. Folks offer larger rewards for the return of their pets, but the brutal rape and torture of a Black woman... $1,000. The Mayor is hiding out. the Housing Authority still doesn't know who is living there, the city commissioners are fighting like cats and dogs and balking at paying for additional security, and the residents are still terrified to speak out. Oh yeah, the Governor of Florida has not made a single public statement about Dunbar Village and he's got six janjaweed running around his state.
The folks unfortunate enough to live in Dunbar Village are not just residents of West Palm Beach, they are citizens of both Florida and the United States of America and they were left to rot and die, cordoned off on one side of town and left without police protection while criminals preyed on them. It isn't just Dunbar Village, West Palm Beach was home to a series of rapes committed against Black women and girls back to back within a one mile radius. A few weeks after Dunbar Village, a 15 year old Black girl was raped in broad daylight and who can forget Magonia Park, right down the street from Dunbar Village less than a month later where a group of Black teens attacked a 42 year-old Black women OUTSIDE and a 14 year-old allegedly raped her at gunpoint while his friends shouted "Hurry Up! Me next!"
West Palm Beach truly is Dysfunction Junction and folks need to speak about this from the outside because the women who live there are scared to.
IF we don't speak up for them, who is going to be left to speak up for us?
I was actually going to post on the Sunday evening, but folks are blowing up my mailbox with it so I figured I had better get it up here for y'all.
Politicians in New York are urging the Comptroller to withdraw $84 Million dollars that the state pension fund has invested in Universal Music and it's parent company Vivendi. OUCH! They are so not playing with folks. SOURCE
You can do the same thing in your state. Almost EVERY if not ALL states have a public pension or retirement plan and by legislative, executive, administrative or action by the board of directors of the plan, they can set a policy to DIVEST from particular countries or companies. In Texas, we recently divested from Sudan.
You don't have to go to Washington, DC, you can go to your state representative and state senator. Ask them to stop sending BILLIONS of dollars to the Misogyny Industrial Complex. They can ignore folks holding placards, but having the largest institutional investors heading for the hills? That should be a concern.
For too long we've focused on individual artists. Boycotted records and songs. It is time to go after the BIG money and that resides with the corporate overlords. That means divesting from the Entertainment Industrial Complex and targeting advertisers of radio, television, and print. You saw what we did with THAT SHOW and XXLmag.com in less than a DAY. It really is not as hard as they want you to believe. We CAN Defund the War on Black Women.
And YES, I noticed it took the N-word to make this happen and the state of New York appears to have been content to purchase Universal stock while it was engaged in the War on Black Women, but this is a potentially powerful object lesson for all of us.
Take time next week to call up your local state representative (their staff actually) and ask them about the likelihood of getting the same type of action in your state.
Again, you can say what you want, I just don't want to pay for it.
Folks Keep asking why Black women get targeted by this industry in this manner... BECAUSE WE LET THEM. Everybody KNOWS that there are certain groups in this country that you do not mess with under any circumstances. There are certain words you do not use. Poor Halle Berry had to BEG Jay Leno and NBC to edit out her appearance when she made a joke about a picture of a "Jewish cousin" yet DL Hughley was all up on Jay's couch insulting and demeaning Black women and his publicist is promoting his comments by using his Rutgers attack in advertising for his show.
But Black folks just sit back and let folks sell us down river over and over again and we do absolutely nothing.
We're going to be busy in 2008. It is time to put out some burning crosses folks are placing on the lawns of Black women. It is time to DEFUND THE WAR ON BLACK WOMEN! If you won't do it for yourself, do it for your daughters.
SOUTH CAROLINA ROAD TRIP - MLK Weekend 2008
Earlier this week I asked how many of you are REALLY TICKED OFF at all of these "leaders" who have completely ignored Dunbar Village, a crime against humanity right here in the United States of America. Not just Dunbar Village, but how many of you have heard of Angela Dawson?
Come January, the Black folks in South Carolina may very well be the most powerful Black people on planet earth. They will be deciding basically who will be the Democratic Candidate for president. If Obama doesn't win SC, its basically over. Same for Edwards. Hillary can survive a loss, but if Edwards or Obama manage to win, they can make it a real battle as opposed to a coronation.
Well, on Thursday, January 17, 2008 there is a CBC-sponsored debate scheduled in Myrtle Beach, SC:
The Congressional Black Caucus Institue will host in Myrtle Beach the Democratic Presidential Primary Debate to be held on Thursday, January 17 2008 at The Palace Theatre. Ticketing plans is under review and details will be relased soon. For further information regarding this event please visit the Congressional Black Caucus website for details www.cbcimyrtlebeachdebate.com>
The eyes of the Black political universe will be on Myrtle Beach, SC and I say we ought to try to direct those EYEBALLS to the fact that not a single one of the Democratic candidates for president has said a single WORD about Dunbar Village. ALL of them know about it.
On August 7,2007, we called Senator Obama's Washington office. I was cut off by the staffer, told the Senator already knew abotu Dunbar Village and would be issuing a statement. I asked "When can we expect one so I can put it on my site?" she said, "Two Hours." Almost three months later, Obama is still SILENT!
Hillary's staff at the Senate Office didn't know about it ( the campaign did), but said that they would " Make the Senator aware of it." Three monts later. Clinton is still SILENT even though ESSENCE did a huge special report on Dunbar Village in the same magazine as a huge interview with Hillary Clinton. I gues her staffers only read the pages with her pictures on them.
And who can forget John Edward's campaign response to hearing about Dunbar Village... they sent us fund raising emails in response to our calls about these poor Black folks down in West Palm Beach, FL.
I've created a Google Group to act as the What About Our Daughters? Action Center. If you are interested in going to SC to basically shame these people into speaking out about this horrible crime, come on over and join the group and work on organizing. This Immoral Indifference is absolutely ridiculous and apparently asking nicely won't work. We're going to have to print up T-shirts with 3 inch letters that scream "HILLARY CLINTON DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN AND CHILDREN","OBAMA DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN AND CHILDRN!", and "JOHN EDWARDS DOESN'T CARE ABOUT BLACK WOMEN AND CHILDREN" when all these folks had to do was ger a high school intern to type up a two page statement saying "We know. We Care and We're Concerned".
If you are interested, join the WAOD Action Center on Google Groups.
Isn't this a Local Issue
Um no it is not. yes there was the actual crime and the criminal justice system is working its way out despite the fact that only 4 suspects out of ten attackers are in custody and the Chief Delsa Bush, thinks that the $1,000 reward is suffiencient to gain additional information. Folks offer larger rewards for the return of their pets, but the brutal rape and torture of a Black woman... $1,000. The Mayor is hiding out. the Housing Authority still doesn't know who is living there, the city commissioners are fighting like cats and dogs and balking at paying for additional security, and the residents are still terrified to speak out. Oh yeah, the Governor of Florida has not made a single public statement about Dunbar Village and he's got six janjaweed running around his state.
The folks unfortunate enough to live in Dunbar Village are not just residents of West Palm Beach, they are citizens of both Florida and the United States of America and they were left to rot and die, cordoned off on one side of town and left without police protection while criminals preyed on them. It isn't just Dunbar Village, West Palm Beach was home to a series of rapes committed against Black women and girls back to back within a one mile radius. A few weeks after Dunbar Village, a 15 year old Black girl was raped in broad daylight and who can forget Magonia Park, right down the street from Dunbar Village less than a month later where a group of Black teens attacked a 42 year-old Black women OUTSIDE and a 14 year-old allegedly raped her at gunpoint while his friends shouted "Hurry Up! Me next!"
West Palm Beach truly is Dysfunction Junction and folks need to speak about this from the outside because the women who live there are scared to.
"In Germany, they came first for the Communists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Communist;And then they came for the trade unionists, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a trade unionist;And then they came for the Jews, And I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Jew;And then . . . they came for me . . . And by that time there was no one left to speak up."Martin Niemöller
IF we don't speak up for them, who is going to be left to speak up for us?
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Reader Comments (11)
I wanted to say that I enjoy your informative blog and to keep up the great work. It is sad that in this day in age people have to turn to alternative sources for real news. You are very much needed by the whole community.
That said I wanted to know:
1- If there is a way to up the award given for the capture of these criminals in the Dunbar Village case, will they take donations?
2- Despite the fact they are American citizens how much do you think is contributed to the medias, and political refusal to acknowledge the crimes by the fact that several of the rape victims are not American born (Haitian). It should not make a difference but I find it strange this aloof like attitude about these crimes. I can't figure out why, even a lot of the black women run blogs seem to skirt around it and instead rap them selves up in surperficial issues. I say this because the West Virgina rape case despite the fact has all the criminals were caught and are going to trial you still see more press mainstream and under ground.
That is all I can think of for now.
I am already on the bus.
I'll be on the bus next to Attorneymom... as long a she doesn't throw me under it first. ;-)
Hi Gina,
You are so quick on your postings. You really do listen to your readers. It's Monica and I sent you an email yesterday regarding the defunding of Universal Music Group via NY State Pension. I'm know I'm not the only who noticed too. I'm sure you got lots of emails. I think it's important that we also forward you the wins (big or small). I'm sure it keeps us all going. You are soo thorough. I'm definitely going to act on some of your suggestions.
Thanks!
Shecodes, we are fellow NJians. I would never throw you under the bus. You can sit right next to me and my 3 children. LOL.
lb,
I remember the Willie Horton campaign well. I think, to a certain extent, that the black community has proved that it has no interest in looking into crimes against black women -- unless the perpetrator is white and male. In fact, the general tone becomes hypervigilance in tipped in favor of the black male suspect in most (not all, but most) cases.
Which means that there no political capital in the Dunbar Village case in today's context. This is why this blog is incredibly important... it's so much bigger than Dunbar Village.
It serves notice to both the white AND black establishments that many black women have had ENOUGH abuse and we are NOT taking it anymore.
I'm not interested in being delicate and polite about Dunbar Village. The black community has proved that it could care less about open misogyny directed toward black women -- therefore, it does not deserve my loyal deference until that changes.
Peace and love
@Shecodes:
"I remember the Willie Horton campaign well. I think, to a certain extent, that the black community has proved that it has no interest in looking into crimes against black women -- unless the perpetrator is white and male."
I have to agree with that to some extent. Both Black men and women are responsible. Those of us who care about our sisters, daughters and mothers, don't seem to be getting the MIC.
@Shecodes:
I agree with everything you said. One of the things I love about this blog, and many of the blogs I’ve been reading lately, is that they are neither “delicate or polite” where the needs of black women are concerned. They speak boldly, plainly, and emphatically, and no doubt have made a huge difference. So, I want to qualify my “nuanced” comment to say I don’t mean this blog!!….
I think what I’m trying to say in pointing out the silence of the presidential campaigns is that whereas there’s no dilemma for those who really care and just want something done, there is a real dilemma for those being challenged to do something about it. How do they address black women’s (and men’s) concerns about misogyny and sexual violence in the black community on the one hand without getting accused of aggravating public perceptions of black men on the other? The way out of that dilemma for them seems to be to say nothing at all.
Maybe I’m giving them too much credit for even thinking about it, or for even looking at it in a historical context, but I just wondered if that was what was holding them back, and if they needed the issue to be framed in a way that made it easier (and less politically risky) for them to tackle it. Perhaps there is no “easier” or less risky way; perhaps it just is what it is, and they have to have the guts to speak about it as plainly and as emphatically as any outraged citizen would. I’m certainly all for that, and would appreciate that from any politician.
@ shecodes:
Peace and love to you too.
I'm there.
Please do not tell me you think you "cannot" inslut Jews. I am Jewish and no Jews even commented on this! There is this nasty rumor that we are so damn powerful that you can't make fun of us. Well, I am Black and Jewish and hear a whole bunch of folks insulting Jews and getting away with it!
In terms of the statement that there are "some groups" you do not insult, many non-Blacks think it is Black folk you "cannot" insult.