Categories
Refugee Crisis student leaders

No Lost Generation at UC

 

nlg

No Lost Generation at the University of Cincinnati is a student group aiming to support the ongoing global refugee crisis in the Syria. The group, tasked by the United States Department of State, works to ensure that the current generation of displaced is not lost to history. NLG has three pillars: education, child protection, and engaging adolescents and youth. NLG raises awareness and funds to support current non-governmental organizations (NGOs) already involved in raising awareness in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt – refugee hosting countries.

Categories
Feminism International Women's Day

The Reminder

IMG_0671Today is International Women’s Day and I find myself reflecting upon the women who raised me and the lessons I learned from each and every one of them. From my mom, to my aunts, to the grandmother I spent so many summers with, each taught me something unique about what it means to be a woman.

Sometimes it’s hard for me to see eye-to-eye with the women who raised me. We disagree on a lot of fundamentals and that makes it hard to have a relationship with them.

This is an ode to the women who brought me up. It is a reminder to myself that change is hard for some folks, but that doesn’t mean I should stop trying.

Categories
Civil Rights LGBTQ Rights Public Defense

Juries and LGBT Litigants: Berthiaume v. Smith

David Wovrosh, Cincinnati Law 2L, summarizes Berthaiume v. Smith for the National Association for Public Defense. The case, decided by the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals, involves LGBT litigants and jury member bias. David writes:

In Berthiaume v. Smith, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals held that jury members may be questioned during voir dire regarding latent bias predicated on sexual orientation.   Relying on its decision in United States v. Bates and the United States Supreme Court’s decision in Rosales-Lopez v. United States, the Eleventh Circuit concluded that, where matters of sexual orientation are “inextricably bound up” with the facts of the case, LGBT litigants are entitled to constitutional protections against jury bias.

To learn more about NAPD’s involvement in the case and for the full text of David’s summary, please visit the National Association for Public Defense.

 

Categories
RGSJ Events

February at the Center for RGSJ

Greetings from the Center for Race, Gender, and Social Justice!  We have a very busy February schedule!  Check out the below roster of this month’s programs and events which we hope will be of interest to you. If you would like further information on any of these events, don’t hesitate to email us at LawRGSJ@uc.edu.  If you’re a local reader, we hope to see you at this month’s events!

Date/Time/Location Program/Event
Thurs., Feb. 16 @ 6pm in TUC’s Great Hall #BlackLivesMatter movement co-founder Patrisse Cullors will be on campus to give a talk entitled, “Resistance is Essential: The Continuing Fight for Black and Queer Lives.” It’s sure to be packed so get there early!
Fri., Feb. 17 @ 8:30am-2:30pm at the African American Cultural Resource Center (AACRC) UC’s The Cincinnati Project is hosting their 3rd Annual Symposium .  Leading Black feminist scholar Dr. Patricia Hill Collins, distinguished university professor at the University of Maryland and Charles Phelps Taft Emeritus Professor of Sociology in the Department of African American Studies here at the University of Cincinnati, is keynoting. You can register here for free!
Fri., Feb. 24 @ 9:30am-4:30pm at TUC (room locations TBD) Dr. Tanisha Ford will keynote the inaugural Creating Black Feminist Futures Symposium (which is co-sponsored by the RGSJ Center).  Registration for the Symposium closes on Friday, February 10th.  Register here for free.
Mon., Feb. 27 @ 12:15-1:15pm in the Crow’s Nest UC Law alum and ProKids Executive Director Tracy Cook (‘90) will join us for a Coffee Corner where she’ll discuss how students can get involved with the important work of her organization.  Bring your lunch and share some coffee and cookies with us.
Mon., Feb. 27 @ 5:30-7:30pm at the Mercantile Library The YWCA, Mercantile, and the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center are co-hosting the first in a series called “Days of Dialogue,” based on the work of Ta-Nehisi Coates, author of Between the World and Me and frequent contributor to The Atlantic.  Register for this event here.  The Center will also be hosting a Days of Dialogue session on April 5 – stay tuned for details!
Mon., Mar. 1 @ 5-7:30pm at TUC  (we know, technically not February but close enough!) UC’s Chapter of the 1 in 3 Campaign is hosting Activist-in-Residence, Jennifer Baumgardner, as part of Women’s History Month and QueerCat Pride Week.  You can learn more and register for free tickets here.

 

 

Categories
Second Look

Second Look – A month in review.

White Parents: Teaching Our Kids To Be Colorblind Is Not The Answer – Kristi Pahr delves into the problematic parenting concept of colorblind ideology. Her short piece reviews the failures of the colorblind narrative and the importance of celebrating differences.

Categories
Second Look

Second Look – A month in review.

Confessions Of A Lesbian Refugee From Iran – Iranian refugee, Jannat, thought the US would be heavenly, but with a looming Trump presidency, her fears are heightened on several levels. The Establishment discusses Jannat’s experiences as both a refugee and a member of the LGBT community.

Accessibility Problematic for Girls with Disabilities – Marginalization is common for women with disabilities in the workplace and beyond. Many women feel unable to participate in community activities due to accessibility. Women’s eNews talked with disabled women to shed light on the issue.

The Tricky Thing About Being Trans and Having a Mental Illness – The Editors at Everyday Feminism have created a comic that attempts to break down and explain the experience of trans folks with mental illnesses. The comic is a short, yet informative, look into the mind of someone with a mental illness who is also faced with a barrage of negative messages about their identity.

Categories
Media review

Shoulders back, hood up.

lukecagepromo.jpgThe ensemble of Marvel’s Luke Cage is an array of blackness, of brownness, a portrayal that is absent of whiteness. One man holds vigil for the white community and [SPOILER ALERT] he’s a bad guy. I’ve never watched a TV show that didn’t provide a multitude of supporting characters who looked like me. Usually, I can put myself into the shoes of a character because they look like me; they sound like me; they face the same hardships I face. This experience was, for me, otherworldly. In my world, superheroes are white. Even female superheroes are white: Wonder Woman, Supergirl, Black Widow, Rogue, Elektra, Jessica Jones, Catwoman (with the exception of the portrayal by Halle Berry), even the Powerpuff Girls are pale with colorful eyes. Storm is the only recognizable black female superhero, but I don’t see her getting her own stand-alone anytime soon.

Categories
Second Look

Second Look – A month in review.

Why are 63 million girls missing out on education? – Lucy Lamble for Global Education podcast explores the numerous barriers preventing girls in conflict zones and rural, impoverished communities from obtaining education.

LGBTQ and Other “Diverse” Books Lead Banned Books List – September 26 through September 30 was Banned Book Week, but it’s not too late to pick up a literary outlaw. Sarah Seltzer for Flavorwire examines the American Library Association’s challenged book list and the inclusion of LGBTQ themed literature.

This DJ mixes the world’s local music to create a global sound – Jace Clayton is a DJ who mixes musical styles from across the globe to tell a universal story about the unexpected moments of music creation.

Student at Liberal Afghanistan College Shares Horror of Attack – Alia, a 16-year-old student at the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), recounts the horror of feigning death during the Taliban takeover of AUAF. Alia shares her story as a writer for the Afghan Women’s Writing Project.

This Chinese-American cartoonist forces us to face racist stereotypes – Cartoonist Gene Luen Yang was awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant this year. In an interview with PBS, he discusses his use of comics to tell a story which creates a more emotional impact on the reader than through mere text.

Amicus: 2016 Term Preview – Slate’s Amicus podcast previews the 2016 Supreme Court term. Host Dahlia Lithwick explores the constitutionality of stop-and-frisk tactics with former federal judge Shira Scheindlin. Also, SCOTUSblog founder and publisher Tom Goldstein provides discourse on the cases the Court will hear this term.

East New York painter confronts the ‘brutal’ forces of gentrification– Gentrification is explored through the eyes of artist Patrick Eugéne. Paint is used as a medium to immortalize the disruption of every day, close-knit communities for the profit of house flipping developers.

Opinionated: How Voter Registration Laws Impact Latinxs– Roger Quesada’s Opinionated delves into the obstacles Latinx voters face at the polls.

More Asian-Americans Are Identifying as Democrats, Survey Finds – A study finds that Asian-American support for Democratic presidential candidates has increased faster than support among any other racial group.

Is the US failing its inmates? – Al Jazeera takes an in-depth look at the poor conditions of US prisons and the prisoners striking to make a change. Prisoners across the country went on strike on September 9th to mark the 45th anniversary of the Attica prison riot.

The Asian American Experience In America – Congresswoman Grace Meng discusses the results of the 2016 National Asian American Survey. Representative Meng challenges Americans to ‘do better’ and fight against racist, lazy stereotypes dominating both Hollywood and the mainstream media.

Jesse Williams and Amir Whitaker: Brown v. Board of Education Is a Broken Promise – America Divided documentary “The Class Divide” is profiled by Time. The documentary highlights the inequity of the U.S. educational system 60 years post Brown.

A Photographer Gives Cameras To Child Brides. Their Images Are Amazing – Photographer Stephanie Sinclair has taken photos of child bride across the globe for 15 years. As a form of art therapy, Sinclair provided some young women with the chance to tell their own story through digital photography.

Mexican man accused of raping eight-year-old ordered to buy her father beer – In rural Mexico, the customs and traditions rule the people. While humanitarian efforts are succeeding in improving the lives of women and girls, gender equality in indigenous communities is struggling.

Sex Trafficking Survivor Says It’s Time to Stop Glamorizing Prostitution – A victim of sex trafficking, Rebecca Bender, discusses her experience as a prostitute. Bender discusses her reasons behind rejecting the Hollywood legitimization of prostitution and pimp culture.

 


Second Look is a monthly content round-up of articles, videos, podcasts, and blog posts highlighting all things race, gender, and/or social justice. Feel free to discuss your thoughts or opinions in the comments below.

Categories
domestic violence RGSJ Events

From Uganda to Cincinnati: The Fight to End Acid Violence

11892208_670058353129230_3830734213281377439_n Hanifa Nakiryowa is the proud mother of two girls, a graduate of University of Nairobi, a former H.J. Heinz fellow in the Master of International Development program at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Public and International Affairs, and an acid attack survivor.

In 2011, recently divorced Ms. Nakiryowa went to pick up her children from her ex-husband’s home in Kampala, Uganda.  While waiting for her husband to open the door, an assailant threw something on her face.  Nakiryowa said the acid felt cold initially but soon made her feel as if she had been engulfed in flames.  As she screamed, Ms. Nakiryowa husband did nothing; he orchestrated the attack.  Months later, a mirror’s glance revealed an unrecognizable face.  Ms. Nakiryowa had lost parts of her nose; her nostrils appeared to have been melted. Breathing was difficult.  But, the judicial system provided no relief.  Instead of resigning herself to the mounting injustice of her situation, Ms. Nakiryowa formed an organization, the Center for Rehabilitation for Survivors of Acid Violence or CERESAV.

Categories
Second Look

Second Look – A week in review.

In NYC, Two Moms Describe the Intimacy of #BlackLivesMatter – An in depth look at modern motherhood in the looming shadow of implicit bias by police.

Ditch high heels to promote equality at work, Theresa May told – From across the pond, many are requesting that the British Prime Minister set an example for equality in the workplace and skip high heels in favor of flat footwear.

Jeffrey Tambor won an Emmy for playing a transgender woman, but even he thinks that’s problematicTransparent actor, Jeffrey Tambor, calls for Hollywood to look to trans actors to portray trans characters during his acceptance speech for Best Lead Actor in a Comedy Series. The Washington Post discusses his impassioned plea.

The Problem With Having All-White State Supreme Courts – TakePart discusses a lawsuit filed by the Alabama State Conference of the NAACP and four citizens, alleging that Alabama process for choosing appellate judges discriminate on the basis of race. The article takes special notice of Judge John H. England Jr., one of the three black justices to sit on the Alabama Supreme Court, and of the fact that 31 other states do not have an African American on their highest court.

Red State Blues – Jedediah Purdy for the New Republic discusses two books—one written by a native Appalachian and another by a sociologist—that delve into the relationship between Trump and Tea Party Conservatives.

Hari Kondabolu Says His Mom Is Hilarious – And Not Because of Her Accent – Hari Kondabolu, stand-up comedian, discusses race, identity, and white fragility in comedy.

Second Look is a monthly content round-up of articles, videos, podcasts, and blog posts highlighting all things race, gender, and/or social justice. Feel free to discuss your thoughts or opinions in the comments below.