Nov

30

Historically Black College Puts the Smackdown on Student Activism

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Education and Academia, Sociology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Apparently, the college administration, which is lead by a Bush appointee, doesn’t like the students anti-war, anti-sweatshop, and anti-poverty views. Thier story also appeared today on Z-Net. Incidently the two student leaders are sociology majors. (I also find it really archaic to have a Dean of Men and a Dean of Women–who does that nowdays?) Here is quote from the students’ Z-Net article:

The HU police booked several people just because they were wearing stickers and other paraphernalia that advertised our events. They booked people who weren’t even wearing paraphernalia because they looked suspicious. The police used hand-held camcorders to record the faces of the activists without our permission. They attempted to intimidate the student onlookers by their random targeting. Three of us were singled out as leaders by the Dean of Men and HU police, who temporarily confiscated our students ID cards. The next day, one leader of our group, Brandon King, was told by a Hampton University Lieutenant Detective that, despite the fact that he was a “hometown athlete,” he would be expelled if he did not cooperate and give up the names of other group members. Now Brandon, three sophomore activists, a junior activist, a non-affiliated supporter and myself have all been summoned to an administrative hearing for violating the code of student conduct by “actions to cajole or proselytize students”, “distributing and/or posting unauthorized information”, and “violating the administrative guidelines for student demonstrations”. The students were given notice at 5:00 p.m. Friday, November 18 to appear at an administrative hearing at 10:00 a.m. Monday, November 21. This short notice obviously made it virtually impossible for the students to organize support from lawyers, parents, witnesses, other students, and sympathetic organizations both on campus and in the wider community. Nevertheless, the administration received many calls and e-mails and agreed on Monday morning to postpone the hearings indefinitely. Upon returning to school from thanksgiving break on Monday November 28, the students learned that the hearings had been rescheduled for Friday, December 2.

Here is the Press Release from the Students:

For Immediate Release
November 27, 2005
Students Object to Censorship by Hampton University Administration
Disciplinary Hearing Date Set

Seven progressive students at Hampton University who are facing the threat of expulsion will come before administrators in a hearing against them at 9 a.m. on Friday Dec. 2.

On November 2, 2005, Hampton students were part of a student walk-out and teach in on the issues of New Orleans urban renewal, the AIDS crisis, homophobia, the prison industrial complex, the war in Iraq, and the crisis in Sudan. Hampton University police shut down the event, videotaped the students involved, and seized the ID cards of several students.

The seven students are now facing disciplinary action for posting and distributing flyers, cajoling students and holding a campus activity, according to a letter sent out by Hampton administrators.? The notice to students from the Administration declared, “you were observed posting unauthorized materials which advocated student participation in a protest activity that had not been registered or approved.”

The threat of punishment for expressing political opinions imposes a severe chilling effect on students. And the reign of censorship at Hampton continues. Students are not allowed to protest against the Hampton Administration’s censorship unless they receive prior approval from the Administration. On November 22, while students were conducting an interview with local Channel 10 TV news, campus police shut down the interview and kicked the reporters off campus.

The Hampton students object to the Administration banning all protests and flyers on campus made without their prior approval. Yet, the Hampton Administration is also guilty of selective enforcement. Hampton students and groups, both recognized and non-recognized, pass out fliers and put up advertisements on campus every day without ever facing punishment. The advertisements usually promote parties, bars and other venues for alcoholic consumption. But when political activists at Hampton hand out flyers about a social justice-oriented student activity, they alone suffer the threat of expulsion.

Hampton University has a record in recent years of the Administration suppressing student activism. In 2003, a student writer for the campus newspaper, “The Hampton Script”, wrote an article about the school cafeteria and its health code violations. The Administration seized all copies and destroyed them justifying the censorship because the newspaper put a letter to students from the president inside the newspaper rather than on the front page.

The Hampton students ask that the Administration immediately withdraw all disciplinary charges in this case, eliminate discriminatory restrictions on political protests and distribution of literature on campus, and promise to uphold and encourage the principles of academic freedom and free _expression on campus.

Contact: Eba Hamid
ebahamid@gmail.com
757.728.4264 dorm
662.832.1036 mobile

If you would like to support the students here is some contact information. Dr. Bennie McMorris, Vice President for Student Affairs 757-727-5264 bennie.mcmorris@hamptonu.edu Woodson Hopewell, Dean of Men 757-727-5303 Jewel Long, Dean of Women Jewel Long, Dean of Women 757-727-5486 For updates on the situation unfolding at Hampton University go to Campus Anti-War Trap Rock Peace Union Voice And for support please send email to Hamptonsolidarity@yahoo.com “>Email

Nov

30

Are Hip Hop’s Old Heads Whining Too Much?

Filed Under Hip Hop, Pop Culture, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Are Hip Hop’s Old Heads Whining Too Much?
In the growing body of literature on Hip Hop music and culture, there is a very noticeable gap. There are many studies covering the history of Hip Hop as a movement, the lyrical content of the music, the roles of the artists in shaping their generation, and a growing body of literature of the how gender and sexism influence Hip Hop culture. What is missing from most of these studies is a thorough discussion of how fans and other listners consume the music and culture. A few year ago I published an article arguing that Black and White teens both give rap music similar ratings (Of course, rap is just one of the major elements of Hip Hop.), but there were some dramatic differences in their level of commitment to the music and in how they consumed it. Both White teens and Black teens said that a major reason for listening was the beat, but Black teenagers also said that rap was something that taught them about life and reaffirmed their experiences.

However, times have changed a little since I conducted that survey. I have noticed a growing Hip Hop Generation Gap, which really seems to be a divide between the under 25 set of Hip Hop fans and those who have followed the music and movement from its early inception. In fact, some of the most biting criticisms of Hip Hop in recent years have come from those who have been part of the original Hip Hop journalists and artists who first pushed the movement into the pop culture stratosphere. They say that Hip Hop has been overtaken by corporate entities and in an effort to reach a wider and Whiter audience Hip Hop lost it edge in critiquing racism, classism, and urban decay. Instead we have been left with artists who promote capitalist bling bling excess. Other have also argued that the misogyny and sexism (which has also been there to some degree) has also spiraled out of control, reducing Black women to gold diggers, video hos, and male side kicks.

These internal criticisms and the growing Hip Hop Generation gap could be influencing whether or not consumers and fans of Hip Hop see the music as an affirmation. So I wonder if young African Americans still see Hip Hop as a life affirming force? I also wonder if White views of Hip Hop have changed. Are the Hip Hop old heads in the over 30 age group whining too much or is Hip Hop losing it?s power to transform and critique?

Nov

26

Blacks are Moving South: Is this the Second Great Black Migration?

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Demography, Sociology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

Blacks are Moving South: Is this the Second Great Black Migration?
(Quickly written and Not Yet Proofed.)
The AP recently reported on a trend that has been happening over the past 15-20 years: the second Great Black Migration. The first Great Black migration occured in the middle 20th Century, particularly from the 1940s-1970s. (Nicholas Lemann’s The Promised Land is an excellent book on this subject.) Many poor African Americans from the rural south left and moved to northern cities in search of a better economic opportunities. Cities like Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, and New York were profoundly changed by the influx of Black immigrants. In fact, several midwestern cities today have very large African American populations largely because of this migration.

When I lived in Detroit the connection between the city’s Black residents and their southern ancestors was very strong. It was evident in the dialect of the people, the easting habits, and some of the everyday customs. In fact, many northern Black refer to the south as “home” even if they have not lived there.

Given this connection to the south it is not surprising that many Blacks are moving back to the south. The AP article makes the following observations:

A recent study by The Brookings Institution found that the South has had a net in-migration of more than 566,000 blacks since 1995, while the other three regions all had net losses, reversing a decades long trend of Southern black flight. The same study found that college-educated blacks led this new charge back to the South.

“Whites who are moving there are doing it for the economy, the warm weather, the amenities they’re not moving there to eat grits and become Southerners,” said demographer William H. Frey, the study’s author. “For blacks, the economy’s important for them too. But they see it as coming home. There’s a strong cultural bond.”

According to the Brookings Study, Blacks moved out of the northeast in large numbers, out of the west and the midwest in modest numbers, and into the south in large numbers. The states with the largest gains in Black populations between 1995-2000 were: Georgia, North Carolina, Florida, Maryland, Texas, and Virginia, and the metro areas with the biggest gains in Black residents were Atlanta, Dallas, Charlotte, Orlando, LasVegas, and Norfolk-Virginia Beach. In contrast, the states with the biggest losses were New York, California, Illinois, New Jersey, and Washington DC (I know it’s not a state, but it is on the list.), and the metro areas with the biggest losses were New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Detroit, and New Orleans. (Louisiana was one of the only southern states to lose Black population, and New Orleans was one of the only southern cities to lose Black residents. All of this was well before Katrina. A trend that is sure to increase after the hurricane.)

What is also different about this Great Migration is that it is not being lead by working class and poor African Americans looking for jobs. Instead, middle class African Americans are leading the move south, causing a “Black Brain Drain” in the north and a “Black Brain Gain” in the south.

While we know that Blacks are moving to the south, the studies on the specific motivations still need to be conducted. Obviously, some of them will be economic. However, there also seems to be a strong cultural connection to the south as this quote from the article suggestions,

Charles Evers, 82, is part of a generation of blacks who endured the worst of the South before desegregation. His brother, former NAACP leader Medgar Evers, was murdered by a white racist in Mississippi in 1963.

Still, he thinks of the South as a place of unending opportunity for blacks, whites and everyone in between.

“I’ve traveled all over the world, and I’ll tell you: There is no place as honest as the South about its racial feelings,” he said. “I think it can be the most wonderful place in the world if we can just keep making the progress we have.”

If the migration figures are any indication, many younger Black folks agree with Evers. The trend shows no sign of ending soon.

What do you think? Why is the pull of the south so strong for the Hip Hop Generation? Any thoughts?

Nov

19

This Woman Has a Name–Ethel Freeman

Filed Under Hurricane Katrina, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

I’m sure most of you remember this picture. After over two months, she was finally buried yesterday. Here is the story from of her burial from The New Olreans Times Picayune.

Nov

17

A Very Depressing Katrina Update

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I saw this story on Yahoo! today. They are having a very hard time identifying many of the bodies of Hurricane victims, and there are also still many children missing. Here is the link.

Nov

1

Recommended Book on Slavery

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Race and Racism, Reviews-Books Movies TV Albums, Sociology, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment

I heard the authors speak about this book on the radio today. It sounds like a really good history lesson. The name of the book is Complicity: How the North Promoted, Prolonged, and Profited from SlaveryHere is the link.