Red Power Movement.

By:Rafeeat Bishi

When we talk about civil rights movements we leave out the important movements for other marginalized groups, such as the Chicanx movements of the 60s or the movements for Japanese Americans' citizenship. When researching for our Indigenous projects, I learned about the Red Power Movement.

The movement was aimed at restoring ownership over land and protesting against racism and violence against their communities.

The movement originated on the Island of Alcatraz, home to the former maximum-security prison. In a symbol of reclamation, the Indigenous people occupied the island and named it for All Natives to come. They stayed for over a year. The occupation remained peaceful and demanded that the Nixon administration give the deed for Island. 

The Island became settled with over 600 people and they established a community, complete with a clinic, a school, and a public relations department. 

After a few tragedies and disorganization (drugs had infiltrated the Island 
(according to History.com -_-), Nixon cut power to the Island. The Natives were forced out.

Now, the Island is home to displays of the historical event and Indigenous history. Federal laws were passed in order to preserve Indigenous culture and history as a result. 

I hope that we can learn more about these movements in school. I had only known Alcatraz to be some big bad prison. Instead, it was home to one of the largest (and successful) uprisings in American history. Maybe some Americans don't like to reckon with the fact that they lost. Hahaha

I want to research some accounts from actual participants/descendants to make sure I have the full story!

Lana Del Rey's Antics

By: Rafeeat Bishi

*This is old stuff but I had this saved in the drafts and never finished it up. 

          Lana Del Rey (real name Elizabeth Grant, which I'll refer to her throughout the rest of the post because her faux-Latina thingy isn't cute) recently came under fire after making a post about the unfair treatment of women in the music industry.

         I like some of Elizabeth's music but she often comes off as very white feminist (or not even feminist at all) and tends to sing bout problematic themes in her music (abuse, pedophilia. I avoid these songs).

        Last year she went after Kanye West for supporting Trump claiming that he was hurting "the culture" -_-. Mind you she had yet to call out any of the white people around her or celebrities that had done similar. She also vilified a Black woman when they had explained the issues with her comments. 

This pic represents my reaction to her post. 

       Now, she brings up the culture again to say how it's unfair that women like Nicki, Beyonce, Doja Cat, Ariana Grande, Kehlani, and Camila Cabello get to be number #1 on the charts for singing about s*x, cheating, and nudity (??? Barely any of the women on this list sing about this, and those who do almost never chart).

      This is incredibly tone-deaf. Elizabeth could have addressed the misogyny in the industry without criticizing the successes of mostly women of color who for a majority of their careers are vilified for their music.

      Nicki Minaj didn't get a #1 until this year and has been constantly scrutinized for her music. Beyonce had to deal with an entire police force refusing to provide her with security because of her Formation video.

      Mind you: Elizabeth has explicit songs about *certain acts* that speak on the one thing she was criticizing.

     She is painting herself as a victim because she's never had a number 1 when her father propelled her career in the industry and she's been able to do countless types of videos without losing support. I wish she would listen to the criticism and not play herself to be the victim. We'll see. The post is still up on insta I believe.

Update: it got worse.

Black Women Dominate the Billboard Charts

By: Rafeeat Bishi

Some good news considering the climate. The Billboard Hot 100 chart was revealed yesterday and at the top of the charts sat Nicki Minaj, Doja Cat, Meg Thee Stallion, and Beyonce, for their remixes to respective hits Say So and Savage. 

It was Nicki Minaj's first number 1 (long overdue -_-), the highest-charting for Megan, Doja's first number 1, and Beyonce's 19th (I believe).

Not only is it a historic day for the artists, but it's also the first time collaboration between women has been number 1! 

The Billboard charts also include many Black and other POC artists, which I think highlights the impact that we have greatly on American music and culture. These songs take over TikTok, Twitter, and memes all over. I just wish the same respect was given to the women who make the art. 

If you're in need of a WOC to stream, I'd recommend Rina Sawayama, a Japanese singer. Her music is fun!

Congrats to everyone!

Coronavirus Movies Conspiracy 😷

By: Rafeeat Bishi

This is just something funny I saw on Twitter. 

         Christopher Nolan is a popular director known for making mind-bending movies. His newest movie, and first with a Black lead (long overdue) called Tenet was set to hit theaters this July before the whole pandemic ruined movie plans. 

         Like many major studios and filmmakers, it makes sense to push back release dates for profit's sake. However, Nolan is apparently hellbent on releasing Tenet in July.

         The thing is, even if movies do reopen, many people aren't going to flock to a crowded theater. It'll take a while for people to become comfortable with going to large spaces. As a result, if the movie opens in July, there will be a good chance it does badly at the box office. 

        The joke on Twitter is that releasing it in July is Nolan's big plan to have his movie with a Black lead flop and then never again have a Black main character. Hmmm. I found this take to be hilarious lol.

        It is sad though that this year, many innovative movies with diversity lost there chance to shine because of the virus.

       Does anyone else think this is a conspiracy? 😕

       Note: notice how Mulan got affected too. Hmmmmm

Black Outrage, and How We Should Ignore Stupidity

By: Rafeeat Bishi

      In a blog post, I mentioned how I'm tired of talking about racism and that  I'd like to focus on some positives that are going on with minority communities. I'll continue to try and spread awareness for issues that I believe are necessary knowledge, but other than that...

BOOOO

     There's been stuff going around on Twitter about Bhad Babie blackfishing and TikTok kids being racist, and to be honest (this may sound bad) I don't care.

      I see more people tweeting about the shock value of these things than actually bringing conversations to the forefront. Those of us who constantly click on their pages to go and comment are the ones who make them famous.

                                                                                            

  

Yayyy!!!

      A video I watched recently commented about how Kim Kardashian said it doesn't hurt her numbers when people talk about her. And I agree.

      All publicity is good publicity because many companies only care about how many clicks you get, not what people are saying once they click. 

      I think we should, for the sake of our wellbeing, avoid unnecessary interactions. If we see some bad behavior, Twitter FBI (or you) can do it's thing, contact the necessary people and move on. Continually reposting and quoting with the words "thoughts?" or "omg this is so bad" will only encourage others to do what can get them on the timeline. 

      Bhad Babie behaved terribly and is now a millionaire with a music career. So there's that. 

      Also. Black people and minorities are not knights in shining armor who can do whatever to stop bad people. Most of us know that people are racist and that society treats us terribly, we don't need to see it in our messages or DMs. We don't need to be reminded 24/7. 

      We should try and withhold from sending friends "look at what's going on" when we can assume they'll already know. Looking at it doesn't lift our spirits, especially if we're in a position where we have no power.

     We can't solve every problem. If a situation is out of our hands, we move on. I'm not saying to ignore bad behavior, use whatever power you have to stop injustice. Spread awareness for big issues! But when it comes to petty people doing nonsense, whose ideas aren't changing anytime soon, don't put your energy towards them. Why should I spend my time getting mad at racists I can't stop or hold accountable when I could be eating a Reese's or watching Glee?

Let's talk about some positives from time to time!

https://thebottomline.as.ucsb.edu/2020/02/how-culture-vultures-take-advantage-of-black-outrage 

https://thegrio.com/2018/02/01/kim-kardashian-tomi-lahren-black-outrage/