Canadian Couple Threatens Indiegneous Safety

By: Rafeeat Bishi 

       When we think of Canada with think of the anti-thesis of America, or what America should be. But from the accounts of many Indigenous Canadians, there are many systemic issues that Canada needs to work through. Especially it's the treatment of the indigenous peoples. This post, however, is more about the actions of one aloof couple.

         As more and more people are looking for the best ways to isolate and avoid the virus, one couple thought it would be smart to go north of the Article Circle to seek refuge. Rightfully, they were turned away from the Chief of a tribe in the Yukon. According to an article they sold everything they owned and went straight there.

         Some Indigenous Canadians described being equipped to self-isolate and live off-land, with supplies being delivered periodically. So it makes sense for them to stay on their land. However, some communities, like the one in the Yukon, do not have medical doctors and have elderly populations with underlying conditions.

         I think this is an example of pure ignorance and disrespect. Not only have these people asked others to stay away from the land they're entitled to, but what made these people think they would immediately be given refuge unannounced? I understand that fear can lead to irrational decision-making. But I mean really??

          People compared this to the way Europeans have historically spread diseases to Native populations all over, ultimately killing them off, because they felt they were entitled to a place on the Natives' land.

          If people like the couple were informed of the difference in mortality rates for Black, Indigenous and other POC, maybe they would've reconsidered their decision to go to the community.


Also: I read that missionaries think this is the time to spread religion to Indigenous communities. -_-. 

Also also: Watch Something's in the Water on Netflix. My queen Ellen Page documents environmental racism in Canada and how it impacts Indigenous communities. 

Police Brutality During the Pandemic

By: Rafeeat Bishi

         A young kid was at 145th Street in Harlem selling chips and candy to support his family before being harassed by officers. They tackled him, kicked his food, took his jacket, and dragged him up the stairs as his mother pleaded for him to be let go. People at the station filmed and one person was arrested for interfering.

        Considering our conversation on Black and Brown people still having to expose themselves to the virus, an interesting question would be is this punishment warranted?

        This kid is probably selling chips to support his family. He is not overstepping his bounds, and yes, during a pandemic, we should be careful of what we take from strangers. But instead of cops helping him or his family find resources and letting him off with a warning, they criminalized him, most likely causing him trauma for who knows how long.

        I would think during a pandemic that the NYPD would not waste resources on an incident like this. But who am I to have hope?

        Is it okay to be doing extra jobs during this time, even if there's a risk of spreading the virus? Or can we not blame communities for needing to support themselves because their society won't give them the help they need? This is just one example of the system (police) proving that when it comes to poor minority communities, they can not be a source of safety. If it was a white kid selling lemonade, they would've gotten a picture and a handshake.

Here are some videos of the incident. Trigger Warning: Police violence and language

The Issue With Anti-Homeless Benches

By: Rafeeat Bishi

          There are many arguments that "the homeless should just work harder" and in terms of connecting this to other marginalized groups, whenever we hear "Black people are just lazy" or "Hispanic people should just get jobs and learn English" I think of the numerous factors, that aren't just systemic, facing them.
         The Ted Talk we watched about the Black veteran who had trouble finding a home for his family I think is a perfect example. He did everything right. He had a job, the money, and the ability to move. But those around him with power did everything they could to stop his success.
         When homeless people are told over and over again to pick themselves up from their bootstraps. I think of these.

          American cities like New York and San Fransisco are supposed to be hubs for opportunity. But some of these places treat those who need the help most, homeless people inhumanely. 
          Their purposes could be to have homeless people look for shelters or city-help, but are they really effective. Most shelters are overcrowded with limited resources. Many homeless people are turned away when in need.
          Anti-homeless benches have been found around these areas and heavily criticized. How can you expect a homeless person to find work if their health deteriorates because they have nowhere to sleep? Why spend money on benches (?) when you can expand homeless shelters or initiatives aimed at helping them find their footing?

          I think it's very inhumane and incorrect to blame the homeless for remaining homeless. Wouldn't we be discouraged from participating in a society that believes we should sleep standing up?
        On a bright note, people have been putting giant blankets and mattresses on these types of benches. Continue the good work if that's the help you can provide.

The Kalief Browder Story and it's connection to Mental Health in Young Men

By: Rafeeat Bishi

 Trigger Warning: Mental Health, mention of S*icide and Depression

          I started watching a doc by Time called The Kalief Browder Story. Kalief's story is similar to that of many young black men in America. He was 16 years old when he was accused of stealing a backpack at 2am and sent to Riker's Island. Many people know that to the most dangerous jail in NYC and one of the deadliest in the country. He was there for 3 years, had over 30 court dates, and while there was in solitary confinement for over 700 days. He was tortured, starved, and beaten. Mind you this happened to a person who was not developed yet. He was also innocent during this and had yet to be convicted. His story is similar to that of Korey Wise of the Central Park Five, who was only 14/15 when he was sent to Riker's, where he faced abuse and mental deterioration for a crime he did not commit. 

       After his release, Kalief was described by those around him as physically being there, but not mentally. He suffered from nightmares, and he himself discussed how he found it hard to sleep at night.

       I haven't finished the doc so I won't go over (if there are any) specifics of his mental health, however, one can observe that his state of wellbeing was negatively impacted. He showed signs of "general" mental illness and PTSD, but as far as I know (I'll look into it) was not formally diagnosed.

      Unfortunately, Kalief took his life, about 2 years after he was released, due to his mental state an inability to adapt. President Obama not shortly after banned solitary confinement for minors. Kalief  described in early interviews being worried about how he would catch up with those around him in a bustling NYC, which could've been a factor

His story is often used as a symbol of the failures of the justice system, but I wonder if these conversations miss a large subtext. How is the mental health of the victims truly affected once they leave this tragic situations? If Kalief had been formally diagnosed and received the psychological treatment he needed, would he have made a different choice? I think because of the stigma towards mental health in young men, especially Black, the adequate resources aren't given to those who suffer from issues.

          Kalief's story helped me make a connection to a book called All the Bright Places, a story of two struggling teens who find each other and ultimately try and heal one another through new experiences. Netflix recently made a movie adaptation which I recommend you watching if you don't mind the chance of experiencing depression. I won't go deep into the book, but a central character is Finch. He suffers through most of the book with undiagnosed mental illness, and as a result, did not receive the specific care he needed. He tragically took his own life. 

          What makes me sad about both stories is that there was potential. If people were better trained to identify the signs of not just suicide or depression, but multiple types of mental illness, we could better help those around us receive help. There is no blame for what happened, but both incidents, fictional or not) highlight a lack of understanding of mental illness that many of us have. 

          Jay-Z described Kalief as being a young man who's energy had not been fully realized, but he left on other people. Who knows what he could've achieved had his life not been cut short. I think the same of Finch, who described before his death that a person like him cannot die, but live in on in the spirits of others. 

         I don't know about anyone else, but I don't want to hear about another Kalief. 

Would You Have Your Wedding on a Plantation?

By: Rafeeat Bishi

          I was reading one of the articles for homework from BBC that had some interesting quotes I think could be elaborated on. I searched up plantations in Charlotte and Google described it as "historic lush gardens with zoos". Very interesting


         "Kameelah Martin, Director of African American Studies at the College of Charleston echoes Eaves when she says: "We would never go to, say, the 9/11 Memorial and host a big party or have a wedding.""

      
        --- I agree. When we see 9/11 you can consider it a symbol of amazing bravery and the lives of those who were killed, but at the end of the day the dead are dead. And celebrating *your* life is not some act of kindness or honor. 


           "When asked why, 400 years on, we should still talk about slavery, Martin says: "Maybe your ancestors didn't participate, maybe you have no connection to it directly. [But] in 2019 we are still dealing with the implications and the impact and the racial disparities that are a result of that way of thinking, of that way of life."


        ---- I rarely know how to answer this question but I think I'll use this from now on. We interact with the effects of slavery everyday, so why not talk about it?

"They wouldn't go to Auschwitz or Dachau and expect to hear a happy narrative and walk away cheerful, because they have an understanding that this was a place of death and exploitation and forced labour. A slave plantation was just that, even though, yes, this was someone's home."

---- Mr. Gaines brought up the idea that plantations are conventionally pretty as opposed to camps. This is interesting. In my opinion, you can find other pretty places. This country is huge. If you want the scenery a plantation is not necessary. And this isn't HGTV. The slaves didn't just think of cute ideas to cultivate a garden. It's forced labor.

"This is a place of labour and great suffering, but this was also a place of family," Neale says. "Not only for the Middletons but for the enslaved. I think as long as we respect the history, we can also use it as a place for someone to create their own memory out here.”

---- Yeah like I said before, that family aspect of slavery usually came from forced breeding. Not to invalidate anybody's existence, but I'm pretty sure the babies and families that were created - and destroyed - by slavery would consider this a place to create happy memories. I don't think marriages will remove the hundreds of years of negativity. It can't outweigh them.

I think this is a nuanced discussion. What I see often is the argument that this can honor the dead. But in my opinion, both sides need to remember that the dead are dead. We can say what they may or may not have wanted, but unfortunately we'll never know. I think ultimately out of respect for slave descendents and those who suffered in general, these plantations should remain strictly for historical purposes. When we try to take positive aspects of it, we become desensitized to the brutality they represent. Slavery can't just be swept aside.

Kid Who Was Punished for Wearing Dreads at School, Invited to Oscars

By: Rafeeat Bishi

         Lots of good things happened at the Oscars this past Sunday (albeit it was a bit boring at times). While the nominees were mostly white (again), Bong Joon Ho won Best Picture and three other awards with his team from Parasite, a Korean film about class, wealth, and society. It's the first foreign film to win Best Picture and the first film not in English to win. Taika Waititi also became the first Indigenous person to win an Oscar.

         Something more subtle happened though. DeAndre Arnold, a Black teen from Texas was told that he would be banned from walking during his high school graduation if he wore dreadlocks. He was given in-school suspension and would continue unless his dreads were cut shorter to meet the dress code.

         He was invited as a guest with Matthew A. Cherry, former football player who won Best Animated Short for the movie "Hair Love", which embraces Black hair and all its attributes.

         I thought it was perfect for Cherry to invite DeAndre considering the message of his film. I wonder what his school is saying now.

         I find that he is given the opportunity to be on such a big stage, with his dreads and all, is a good thing not only for Arnold but for those who think that Black hair and culture itself is "unprofessional" or "informal".

         People like Cherry who are promoting positive representations of Black hair and its features can help younger generations internalize it. Pertaining to the question asked in class, I think that this is what makes me optimistic for the future. People recognizing the implicit bias we all have and using creative ways, such as film, to tackle it.

Being White and "Hood" - Blindspotting

By: Rafeeat Bishi

         I watched a movie a while ago called Blindspotting that I thought related to our conversations about  non-black people being in hip-hop, saying the n-word, or people in general being apart of lifestyles that aren't necessarily theirs.

         In this movie, two best friends, Collin and Miles  are forced to confront the racial dynamics of their friendship after one witnesses the shooting death of a black man by a white cop.

         Miles is white and wears grills, listens to rap, has a black girlfriend and speaks in AAVE. He's a native of Oakland. The movie also talks about how Oakland is becoming gentrified, and he is one of the biggest critics of this change.

        Throughout the movie, his girlfriend and Collin refer to him as n*gga. It's not talked about. Often times, Miles feels as if he needs to prove his "hardness" because he is white. He even complained about it being his biggest struggle (-_-). (I find that funny since many black people want to avoid fitting a stereotype. Collin just got out of jail, and is trying to stay out of trouble.

        In the climax of the movie, Collin confronts Miles because he beat up a black dude at a party after a black dude assumed he was a poser. They get in a heated argument and Miles judges Collin for not acting hard enough (he may even say Black), and being a somewhat coward. Collin was attempting to explain how the racial tensions of society make it hard for him to fit that stereotype, and how one slip up means jail for ever. It was a very disturbing encounter, and in the heat of the moment Collin called Miles n*gga again and asked him to repeat it. 

        Mind you, not once in the entire movie had Miles used the n-word. Ever. He was all slang, and the grills and the music but he never said it. He always used "breh/bruh".

        It was interesting because when Collin asked Miles why he didn't say it, Miles couldn't explain why he didn't (or shouldn't) use the n-word. And Collin asked him if there was something wrong with that.

       I didn't really know what to take from it, but I think it prompts a good discussion. It also made me wonder if it was Collin's way of proving to Miles that despite their environment, they're not the same. Collin says that Miles is the epitome of a black stereotype, and that he is more of a "n*gga" than Collin himself. This guy had been all about "the culture" but never once thought to use the n-word. Is it on a case-by-case basis? Why can't other non-black people seem to do the same? He wasn't a poser, it was the life he knew and he wasn't putting on a front. Yet he showed restraint

          Here's a link to the scene for more context. This was a very good movie to watch especially on the topic that we discussed in class, I'm pretty sure it's on Starz (or if you want a link lmk). The scene can be found on youtube (it's blocked on chromebooks) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6-5uS8fYMH0