race

The Audacity of Mark Wahlberg

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#CriminWhileWhite trendSome don’t like the hashtag #CrimingWhileWhite. But I think it’s a good way to shine a light on the disparity in treatment by the justice system between white people and people of color.

This hashtag immediately came to mind as I read The Week’s article stating that Mark Wahlberg should not receive a pardon from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Wahlberg filed a pardon petition last month. The audacity.

The article gives details of the events that resulted in a criminal conviction. I was surprised, because it seemed like a hate crime to me. His Wikipedia page discusses more and it is all rather disturbing.

I won’t write the details here; you can take a look at both articles on your own and decide whether to believe them or not. However, beating two Asian men severely while shouting racial epithets at them is horrifying to say the least. Whether Wahlberg was drunk or on drugs is not an excuse.  One of the men lost sight in one eye. Wahlberg spent 45 days in jail.

Part of the reason reading about this has upset me so much is the timing of it. The racial climate in this country at the current moment is tense to say the least. Not that there are no injustices happening to other people, but foremost on my mind are the recent grand jury decisions and the differences in treatment in this country based on race. I recently read an article about a black man who spent decades in prison for a crime that he did not commit. That was just one article, but it is story that has been repeated over and over.

The law is so harsh to people of color where it can often be quite kind to white people. Thus #CrimingWhileWhite. The stories are being told tweet by tweet.

Apparently Wahlberg thinks it was perfectly fair that he only served 45 days in jail for his crimes. The audacity. If he had been black would he have received that kind of sentence? I really don’t think so.

While Wikipedia cannot always be believed, the entry about him says the following.

“I did a lot of things that I regret, and I have certainly paid for my mistakes.” He said the right thing to do would be to try to find the blinded man and make amends, and admitted he has not done so, but added that he was no longer burdened by guilt: “You have to go and ask for forgiveness and it wasn’t until I really started doing good and doing right by other people, as well as myself, that I really started to feel that guilt go away. So I don’t have a problem going to sleep at night. I feel good when I wake up in the morning.”

I do believe that we have to move past our mistakes and go forward with our lives, but wow…. Why hasn’t he found the blinded man and tried to make amends? Has he been compensated? I would think that given all the money that he has made and how his mindset has changed that he would want to apologize and give the man some money. Maybe he has and the article did not include that. I sure hope so.

To ask for a pardon seems like a lot for me. He basically got a pardon with just 45 days in jail. Others would have served years, maybe decades or life. Wahlberg was able to enjoy his youth, his freedom and become the best version of himself. He received a valuable gift.

As much as I detest his crimes, I admire what Wahlberg has done with his life. He has made the most out of it and is doing more good with his foundation. He is giving back. He has brought great joy to many with his music. Including me. Who hasn’t found themselves bobbing their head to Good Vibrations?

With his Massachusetts restaurants Alma Nove and Wahlburgers, he is bringing jobs and good food to the local economy. I’m certainly not against any of that.

But how do you balance so much good with the atrocities? Maybe the balance is leaving the conviction on his record.

I think the world is probably a better place having Wahlberg as he is now rather than being behind bars. He got a second chance. Many others deserve to as well, but never get it. Refusing the pardon, might make sure that Wahlberg never forgets just how truly lucky he is.

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*Updated 12/11/2014* This story is developing. A Daily Mail article says that the man who was attacked, Johnny Trinh, forgives Wahlberg and has just now learned of his fame. Also Trinh says that he lost his eye before he was beaten by Wahlberg. The initial injury took place during the Vietnam War. It’s quite an in-depth article and worth reading.

*Updated 12/17/2014* Here are two more articles with information: Back In The Day: Marky Marks Rap Sheet  and Reminder That Mark Wahlberg Allegedly Threw Rocks, Slurs, At 4th Grade Class in 1986

*Updated 1/14/2015* An interesting article on Boston.com: Ex-Prosecutor: Don’t Pardon Mark Wahlberg for Racist Attacks

*Updated 9/15/2016* Was happy to learn that Wahlberg now regrets asking for a pardon and the pardon request has been closed. Also, he did meet with Trinh and apologized to him in person.

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Black Friday: A Different Perspective

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Portal of SorrowThanksgiving was wonderful yesterday. Lots of family, friends, laughter, good food and conversation. Some of the conversation turned to Ferguson and the horrible grand jury decision.

I’m sure that for every African-American family around the country, the conversation over many Thanksgiving meals eventually turned to Ferguson. How could it not? As black people, we are feeling besieged. How could we not?

While Black Friday is usually about Christmas shopping, I’ve never been part of that mad scene and avoid it at all costs. This Black Friday post is about to get real, so hold on.

What strikes me as more fitting is that  many are focusing on the one trillion dollars of buying power by black consumers and deciding to withhold that buying power today. #NotOneDime and #BlackoutBlackFriday are hashtags on Twitter. Since early this morning, #NotOneDime has been trending nationwide.

I have so many feelings about the violence being done to black people by white police officers seemingly everyday. It’s scary. It makes me mad and sad. Last week I watched the final episode of Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., so I was already thinking about history and all that African-Americans have endured in this country. So much progress has been made, but so much racism continues. In case you haven’t watched the show, I highly recommend it. Gates really brings history to life and shows that so much of it is available to us. He has researched the family trees of many celebrities, some who are African-American and has found records of the plantations where their ancestors were enslaved and found the names of the families who owned them. These records exist.

When arguments were made against slavery reparations in the past, one of the things said was that it would be impossible to find out who are the descendants of slaves. That is not true. His research has shown that the information is available and he has some of it.

I believe that one of the reasons why so many don’t understand that racism still exists is that the issue of slavery has still never truly been dealt with in this country. Since 1989, United States Representative John Conyers, Jr. has put forth bill H.R. 40 during each session of Congress — “Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African-Americans Act.” Enacting this legislation and seriously studying reparations would be a start.

In The Case for Reparations, an article written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, he mentions a case out of Massachusetts. Below is an excerpt from the article.

In 1783, the freedwoman Belinda Royall petitioned the commonwealth of Massachusetts for reparations. Belinda had been born in modern-day Ghana. She was kidnapped as a child and sold into slavery. She endured the Middle Passage and 50 years of enslavement at the hands of Isaac Royall and his son. … Belinda Royall was granted a pension of 15 pounds and 12 shillings, to be paid out of the estate of Isaac Royall—one of the earliest successful attempts to petition for reparations. …

“A heavy account lies against us as a civil society for oppressions committed against people who did not injure us,” wrote the Quaker John Woolman in 1769, “and that if the particular case of many individuals were fairly stated, it would appear that there was considerable due to them.”

As the historian Roy E. Finkenbine has documented, at the dawn of this country, black reparations were actively considered and often effected. Quakers in New York, New England, and Baltimore went so far as to make “membership contingent upon compensating one’s former slaves.” In 1782, the Quaker Robert Pleasants emancipated his 78 slaves, granted them 350 acres, and later built a school on their property and provided for their education. “The doing of this justice to the injured Africans,” wrote Pleasants, “would be an acceptable offering to him who ‘Rules in the kingdom of men.’ ”

Living in Massachusetts, I found this especially poignant. The Quaker connection I also found particularly interesting in light of a recent lawsuit against Quaker Oats by the descendants of the woman who is alleged to be the face of Aunt Jemima. A CBS report explains.

The Aunt Jemima brand was built around the caricature of a post-slavery black woman.

“She was developed a long time ago as a kind of a group of stereotypes distilled into a single person,” Adweek writer Sam Thielmann said.

Over the years, her depiction has evolved, but not enough for a family that said their relative’s image made the company famous. …

A lawsuit filed in federal court alleges Quaker Oats stole recipes from Anna Short Harrington in the 1930s and failed to pay her royalties on products bearing her image.In the complaint, her descendants say Harrington had a contract with Quaker Oats that was never honored.

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Writing this blog, I receive press releases about all sorts of things. Two releases that I’ve received over the past several days really upset me. Especially in light of what I have just written. I will not give the name of the place, because I don’t want to give them any publicity. It’s a southern plantation that now is a bed and breakfast.

Special events, tours, weddings, bird watching and picnics are mentioned. “When it comes down to it, there’s not much to not love about this historical bed and breakfast,” the release boasts. Seriously??!!

They have kept the word “plantation” in the name. The website shows pictures of slave shacks. It is very cavalier about the mention of slaves and the emotional perspective is definitely that of the slave owning family that suffered during the Civil War. From what I’ve learned over the last year or so, many people have events and stay in these renovated plantations where they can hark back to the good ol’ days. Like Paula Deen. Below is an edited excerpt from the site with the name removed and absolutely no link to them.

this Mansion offers the charm of Southern days gone by. Here you will find the elegant Southern wedding of your dreams or a peaceful retreat for corporate and social gatherings. With historic and local attractions within easy drives and award winning vineyards just around the corner, ____ Plantation makes a great place to come home to after a day of adventure.

Plantations were places where some of the worst violence and terrorism in this hemisphere happened to black people. Plantation B&Bs should not be places to go and enjoy thinking about the past. Plantations should be places where the history of slavery is taught and all money earned or donated goes towards reparations to the descendants of slaves.

To all those who represent slave plantation B&Bs, stop sending me your press releases. I will NEVER use my voice to help you further profit from the horrible institution of American slavery. Ever.

*Updated 12/9/2014* Just found a very interesting article which makes similar points to this post: #Blacklivesmatter Till They Don’t: Slavery’s Lasting Legacy

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Flickr Photo: Portal of Sorrow (Gorée Island) by Angelo Juan Ramos

Pumpkin Spice: Do You or Don’t You?

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Pumpkin Spice OreoIf you’re into Twitter, you may have seen Pumpkin Spice Oreo trending about a week ago. My first thought was, “This better not be a joke, because that would just be cruel.”

When I was in CVS a few days ago, I sort of casually looked for them. I didn’t see any, so I asked.  I was told that they didn’t have them and wouldn’t be carrying them. *Gulp*

Yesterday in Stop & Shop, I sauntered over to the cookie aisle to catch a glimpse. Nothing. When I got home, I did a quick search and didn’t see anything on the Oreo website. Then I  searched on Twitter and found the Tweet pictured above.

September 24th is the official day! I had read some articles about how good the cookies were and mistakenly believed they were available for the general public. I guess only a special few were given the cookies in advance.

Needless to say, I am now mildly obsessed with trying them and will be looking forward to their arrival on store shelves. After writing about my search for them on Facebook, someone commented that I might need an intervention. Ha! Not quite yet.

I love all things pumpkin and pumpkin spice. Since I prefer summer, the annual arrival of these flavors infused into just about every food product almost makes me happy for the cold weather. Yeah, I said it!

This pumpkin spice latte recipe is one that I plan to try. This pumpkin crumb coffee cake would go nicely with it too!

pumpkinsNow one more thing that I’ve noticed with the pumpkin spice phenomenon is the racial tinge to it. When and why did that happen?  Pumpkin spice is being associated with white girls.

I posted this photo to my personal Facebook wall recently. In case you don’t click over, the quote says, “if you say ‘pumpkin spice latte’ in the mirror 3 times a white girl in yoga pants will appear & tell you all her favorite things about fall.”

I re-posted it because I think it’s hilarious, but I added that it could be “any” girl. Similarly, BuzzFeed has an article called “25 Things All Basic White Girls Do During The Fall.”

Of course, first on the list is “Get on that Pumpkin Spice Latte grind.” The top comment on this post is by Nicky Watson.

Buzzfeed, girls of color could enjoy these things too you know >_> I mean what does Buzzfeed think all black girls like to do during the fall? Twerk? Sheesh.

Agreed. What about pumpkin spice makes American culture want to associate it with “girls” first of all.  Not women. Or men. Or boys. It’s a flavor people! Shouldn’t it be gender and age neutral!? Then all people of color are uniformly dismissed from the conversation.

Granted, this is just a fall flavor. But in general, when we eliminate certain people from the greater conversation, it’s never a good thing. So the next time you eat something pumpkin spice flavored, think about who else you picture consuming it and why.

*Updated 10/10/2014* I spied the cookies! I’ve had way too many cookies recently, but when I saw these Pumpkin Spice Oreos in the store today, I decided to get them. Just to follow-up this post…. So I could report back to you! They’re good! I hope you appreciate my sacrifice.

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Photo Credit: Oreo Tweet