Wisconsin Women of Color Network Inc. to host Regional Conference

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Jul 27, 2015

P_WWOCN04 — Wisconsin Women of Color Network

The 32nd annual Networking Together Regional Conference titled “The Power of Unity” will be hosted by
The Wisconsin Women of Color Network, Inc. (WWOCN) at the Crowne Plaza Hotel, 4402 East Washington Ave on Thursday-Friday, Aug. 20-21.
For the past 34 years, the Networking Together Conference has been guided by the following
mission:
• To plan and conduct a biennial conference to promote networking among women of color
• To enhance women of color in leadership positions and, through the conference, to serve
as a catalyst for women of color networking together around common issues and concern
• To continue the thrust around employment issues, but to recognize that all issues
affecting women of color are interconnected and relevant topics to be exposed via the
biennial conference
• To facilitate opportunities for greater cooperation and information sharing among our
sisters.

The 2015 conference aims to explore multicultural challenges and opportunities to achieve unity among women of color. Participants will benefit from presentations, workshops, round table discussions, and other activities that focus on careers and employment, including small business development; human resource services such as developing community organizations, coalitions, and networks, and seeking volunteer placements; education; health and wellness programs including family issues of dementia and domestic violence; and youth activities.
Women of color from Networking Together State affiliates in the country’s Midwest Region are invited to attend and participate in this biennial conference. Throughout the conference, there will be time for networking, business card exchange, information exhibits and vendors from women of color owned or women managed businesses, a Silent Auction, and wellness and comfort activities.
The Networking Together conference offers opportunities for community organizations and businesses to sponsor the conference, advertise, and exhibit their products during the conference.
Donations to the conference will be used to provide scholarships to low income women and youths of color to attend and participate during this conference. WWOCN was established as a not-for-profit corporation in October 1983. It is a tax exempt organization under Section 501©(3) of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service Code. WWOCN brings women of color together and fosters development of networks through a variety of regular and special programs around the State of Wisconsin. WWOCN also assists women of color in gaining experience and recognition through referrals for speaking engagements, recognition of achievement awards, committee and board appointments and employment information.

For more information: contact WWOCN Office at (608) 244-6581 or e-mail:
[email protected].

Of Cultural Appropriation

By

David Dahmer

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Jul 22, 2015

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by Rev. David Hart

Over the years, the movie “Love Jones” has grown on me. No, not because I enjoy seeing Nia Long spend 109 minutes in tastefully snug jeans (although that does help advance the movie’s plot, cinematically speaking, of course). I enjoy it mainly because it is a story of a young, intelligent, thoughtful couple struggling with the complexities of togetherness and romance.
In one of the more intriguing scenes, the characters of Nia Long and Lorenz Tate have a discussion about love. “There’s more to life than just sex,” Long exclaims to Tate as she scrawls the word “love” on Tate’s hand. From that point on, the two go on a rewarding but difficult journey to define love internally and between them.
Nia Long and Lorenz Tate’s difficulty defining love in “Love Jones” is immediately touching, because it is so realistic. I have heard friends both single and married wax poetic about the different levels of love. There’s the love that one has for a romantic interest. There’s the love one has for friends and family members. There’s the love between people who share interests or values. There’s even a notion of “being in love” with someone, which I’m told is different than loving someone altogether. All of these types of love are separate and distinct.
What’s more, people come to relationships not only with different ideas of what love is; they also come with expectations, desires, and fears about love which they learned from past relationships. So when two people tell each other “I love you,” they almost always mean different things, and it becomes confusing to talk about love.
Singer Vivian Green points out this frustration about the difficulty defining love in her song “What is Love?” when she laments, “Baby, if this isn’t love, then, really, what is love?”
This point hit home some time ago when I was talking to a small group of Nigerian folks.
We were having an honest dialogue about the differences between Nigerian and African American culture, and one Nigerian pointed to our concept of love as an example of the differences.
When asked, he carefully said, “I don’t know what you all mean when you say ‘love.’ There’s no word for love in any Nigerian language. If you’re ‘with’ someone, or ‘down’ for someone, whether it’s family, friends, or spouse, you’ll do anything for them. It’s an unspoken, spiritual connection that seems to be less fickle than what you call ‘love.’”
This is all-important to us, because our community struggles with defining love on the various levels. We say that we love Black women because they are the mothers of civilization, but we allow musicians to degrade and disparage them in songs and music videos.
We say we love young Black leadership, but we do little to nurture young leaders and prepare them for the future. We even say that we love our community, but somehow, every day, we fail to patronize Black businesses; and we laugh at comedians who turn our misery and stereotypes into lucrative punchlines.
In fact, our community’s well-publicized struggle with defining love has caused the African American Holiday Association to facilitate the creation of a holiday called Black Love Day.
Black Love Day, created over two decades ago, is observed Feb. 13. It calls on African American observers to express “five separate acts of love” for people of African descent and African culture.
It also calls on non-African American observers to practice “love in action.” The Black love website does not specify what “love in action” means. Maybe we can ask Rachel Dolezal for the definition.
But, nowhere is our struggle with self-love more magnified, or poetic than in this society’s love of all things Black.
Our society loves Black culture–our hair, our clothes, our music, our history. In fact, they love Black culture so much, they have made blackness a lucrative business.
Called by its more sanitized name, cultural appropriation, people within this society take pieces of Black culture and incorporate it into their own, to appear more edgy and hip.
So Justin Timberlake has brought sexy back, Miley Cyrus has twerked herself to death, Robin Thicke has blurred the lines between sampling and stealing from Marvin Gaye, and Iggy, well, she’s just being Iggy.
Appropriating Black culture is nothing new. Carla Kaplan, author of “Miss Anne in Harlem,” suggests that America has almost always had a love affair with Black culture toward this end.
This, Kaplan explains is why Harlem streets and nightclubs were packed in the 1920s–to see, hear and experience Black culture. To express a love for a culture unique enough to nurture jazz music and tap dance.
But, down here in reality, there is no love lost for Black People or Black history. Black men and women are decimated by police officers and other Blacks so rapidly, it’s hard to keep up with every incident. Children are educated with textbooks and curriculum, in which Black and African history are a series of footnotes.
And all of this occurs in our watch. We allow this dichotomy of loving Black culture but not Black people to exist in this society. We buy Justin’s music, and forgive those who take Black lives without holding them accountable.
If we love Black culture, if we truly love Black culture, then we love Black people. And if we love Black people, we value their lives as well.
Yes, Black lives do matter.

Of Black Firsts

By

Rev. David Hart

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Jul 17, 2015

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In black circles, it is a moment more inevitable than even death or taxes.

More inevitable than a sunrise. More inevitable than the sad reality that young black people will continue to be killed by law enforcement officers.

And more inevitable than our society justifying those murders by pointing to the amount of “Black on Black” crime that exists in the world.

It’s the moment when our society decides to acknowledge a “black first.” You know, when a black individual makes gains in a discipline or profession sparsely populated by other blacks. A black first.

This world has seen its share of black firsts: The first black medical doctor, the first black astronaut, the first black man to argue before the Supreme Court, the first black woman elected to Congress, the first black president and so on and so on.

When the world gets wind of a black first, the response to it and them is universal and uniform; the black first is called anything from groundbreaking, to game changing, to inspiring. I have even seen the terms “pioneer” and “pilgrim” used to describe black firsts.

Black firsts, according to conventional wisdom, open up proverbial doors for blacks who want to excel in anything worthwhile, and generally make the world a better place for Blacks, as a general proposition.

But, that has hasn’t always been the case. A black first, in many instances, calls attention to how little progress we’ve made as a country, and how much more work there is to do.

Let me explain. When Halle Berry won an Oscar in 2002 for Best Actress, it was supposed to be a game changer for black actresses.

But it wasn’t. In 2015, Halle Berry is still the only black woman to win an Oscar for a leading role, and movie parts for black actresses are far and few between.

When Dorthea Towles made history as the first black runway model, it was supposed to be a game changer for black women.

But, it wasn’t. At the most recent New York Fashion Week, less than ten percent of the runway models were non-white.

And our present’s election as the first black president was supposed to change the game for blacks generally.

But, it hasn’t. Gun sales, membership in hate groups, and hate crimes against blacks, have all skyrocketed during President Obama’s tenure.

Now, the American Ballet Theatre has recently promoted Misty Copeland to its top rank, making her the first black principal ballerina in that company’s 75-year history.

And the world is heralding this as a major breakthrough for black people. And while I applaud Copeland for her accomplishment, I don’t know if this is a breakthrough for blacks.

It occurs to me that Copeland’s promotion to principal underscores the tremendous disadvantages young Black women have always had in this country.

There are and have always been many young women of color, who have had ample talent and ability, that have been prevented from taking advantages of opportunities to excel in the arts.

What’s more, Copeland’s promotion does little to address the body image concerns that we should have about the world of dance. It is entirely possible to be a world class dancer and also a size six, or 10, or yes, even a 12.

So, Copeland’s promotion may indeed be groundbreaking. But, for those of us who have seen what happens in a discipline after the black first, we know that it’s better to take a wait and see approach to this news before we buy the young women in our lives tutus.

YWCA Madison Receives National Award

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Editor

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Jul 16, 2015

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YWCA USA awarded YWCA Madison the competitive national Association Excellence Award in the field of Racial Justice at its annual gala in Washington, D.C. on June 5, 2015. Each year the national organization recognizes local affiliates for outstanding work in the mission-related areas of women’s empowerment, racial justice, and advocacy. The YWCA Madison was selected out of over 200 YWCAs in the category of Racial Justice.

“YWCA Madison is deeply honored to be selected by our national association and our peers for excellent, cutting edge work in Racial Justice, particularly because the award recognized both our external community work and our internal work to become a more equitable organization,” says CEO Rachel Krinsky. “My thanks, in particular, go to YWCA Madison Racial Justice Director Colleen Butler, who has initiated and implemented the majority of these efforts over the last 15 years.”

“The Association Excellence Awards are our way of celebrating and honoring the vital contributions that YWCAs make to communities all across the country and to lift up those who do exemplary work,” says YWCA USA CEO Dara Richardson-Heron, MD. “Their passion and commitment to improving the lives of women and their families is truly inspiring.”

YWCA Madison offers a broad range of Racial Justice programs for the community: Racial Justice Workshops, an annual Racial Justice Summit, and Restorative Justice programming in local schools and community centers. In addition, the YWCA provides consulting to other organizations and businesses through the Creating Equitable Organizations program. Recently, the YWCA Madison reached 51 percent staff racial diversity, including 30 percent directors of color, and is a model for organizations and community members seeking solutions for diversity and inclusion. Read more about the YWCA Madison’s work in racial justice.

Founded in 1909, the YWCA Madison is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. To fulfill this mission the YWCA Madison:
Advances Equity by working towards eliminating racism, reducing suspensions of youth of color, and closing the gender leadership gap;
Expands Employment for women and people of color by connecting them to jobs through training programs and transportation solutions; and
Provides Housing by creating affordable, safe, and supported housing options for families and single women

An Open Letter to the African Methodist Episcopal Church

By

Rev. David Hart

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Jul 16, 2015

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Dear AME Church:

Many men wish death upon you. And for you, that’s not just something skinny jeaned-clad hipsters say to sound cool, or the hook of some 50 Cent song. It’s real business.

With nine of your sons and daughters slaughtered like rabid cattle in South Carolina, your churches intentionally burned to the ground, and death threats for the women you have nurtured for the ministry, all in the span of a few weeks, you can’t help but believe that many men wish death upon you.

But, being in the spotlight and being the target of hate is nothing new for you. In fact, you were born because the enemy did not allow brothers and sisters to pray and worship in a church like other Christians.

You were the loudest voice in anti-lynching, anti-slavery, abolitionist movements.

You were on the front lines of the civil rights movement. You sat-in, you sat down, you stood up, you marched and you fought for equality and justice, even when they called for your death.

You spoke truth to power when they spat on you, educated our young when they sought to miseducate them, and you rode for freedom, when there were pickup trucks with confederate flags, gun racks and hooded cowards lurking in the dusk waiting to take your life away from you.

You were even at the birth of hip hop. Yes, I saw you there too.

But, you are still here. And it is because you are still here, that many men wish death upon you. For you represent an inconvenient truth. You represent a truth that African history is Black American history. And Black American history is American history.

You represent a truth that looks something like educated and brave and beautiful black men and women who pay taxes, build America, get married and raise successful Black children, shatter every Negro stereotype this country has for us, and worship a Black Jesus.

But, it is not only because of this rich past and present, that you are under attack right now. Rather, it is also because of your future and the potential to heal an entire people, that you are a target.

You know better than most, that the enemy does not attack the weak, or those who pose little or no threat to them.

No, many, many men wish death upon you because you are doing what is right and Godly. Because you are strong and mighty. You are providing a path to God and clear direction for the future for young people of color. You are the last working swing in the park.

So, understand that these recent attacks on you have occurred because you are on the right track and because you are leading the way for us.

Please do keep going. The people need you. And God loves you.

Ever Yours,

David

Of Same-Sex Unions

By

Rev. David Hart

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Jul 16, 2015

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It didn’t take long for the Religious Right to embarrass themselves regarding same sex marriage. Again.

As soon as the Supreme Court published its decision in Obergefell v. Hodges, which held that the United States Constitution provided an inherent right to marriage for all citizens, they began frothing at the mouth.

Some called for wholesale acts of civil disobedience against the government to protest this “unjust law.” Other Christian groups immediately began to develop strategies to continue discriminating against same-sex couples.

And verily, history will not be kind to Senator Ted Cruz’s comment that the Supreme Court’s decisions in Obergefell v. Hodges, King v. Burwell (the Obamacare subsidy case), and Texas v. Inclusionary Communities, led to “the darkest 24 hours in our nation’s history.”

Dark like slavery. Dark like Pearl Harbor. Dark like Sandy Hook. Dark like the Tuskegee Experiment.

Same-sex marriage proponents have had quite a successful run recently. The Court, through Justice Kennedy’s pen, disposed of every serious legal argument against the government recognizing same-sex marriages and equal protection under the law to marry.

And what’s more, the concept of same-sex marriage has become increasingly popular in this country. As of this month, almost two-thirds of the country supports it.

“It’s okay to oppose same-sex marriages, but opposing them because ‘God says so,’ isn’t so. God’s ultimate call is to love.”

But, while proponents of same-sex marriage have been successful in appellate court and the court of public opinion, they have struggled to persuade the Religious Right, who consider themselves God’s proxy on earth, of the virtues of same-sex marriage.

Opponents of same-sex marriage arguments are rooted wholly in one statement: “Because God said so.”

They prooftext various passages from the scriptures (Romans 1:18-32, or 1 Corinthians 6:9, for example) to illustrate that God considers same-sex marriage to be “unnatural.” Those oft-quoted passages come from the Apostle Paul’s letters to early Christian churches.

The passages themselves sound convincing, but that’s kind of the point of prooftexting–take a passage out of its context to support a proposition. How about “women should remain silent in the churches,” or “slaves obey your earthly masters,” or even, “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman?”

All are direct quotations from the Apostle, none of which are given much regard in our culture.

The Apostle Paul’s letters are good philosophical works in which we can glean how to grow and protect the Church in love. However, Paul’s letters were written to first century churches to address specific issues within a specific context. In other words, if you’re going to condemn same-sex marriage, you’re going to have to do better than shoplifting a few passages from Apostle Paul.

And above this, Christ himself never mentions or addresses same-sex marriages in his public ministry. But, he does mention love a time or two.

It’s okay to oppose same-sex marriages, but opposing them because “God says so,” isn’t so. God’s ultimate call is to love.

And perhaps a loving, committed marriage between two people, regardless of their gender, furthers that call.

Dane Dances every night in August

By

Madison365 staff

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Jul 16, 2015

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P_DaneDances — Dane Dances takes place on the rooftop

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Juneteenth

By

David Dahmer

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Jul 15, 2015

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Juneteenth

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2014-15 Ms. Hmong Wisconsin Contest

By

salston

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May 19, 2015

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Support Latinos United for College Educational Scholarships

By

salston

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May 18, 2015

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Pedro R. Albiter, President and Founder of LUCES (Latinos United for College Educational Scholarships), introduces LUCES and their mission to the Madison community.

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