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Thursday, February 28, 2013
NEW THIS MORNING
Fw: Harlem Heritage Tours Offers a Tour of Literary Harlem
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Abena Afreeka: Philadelphia Therapist Announces ‘N*gga Recovery Program’
If you’re someone who feels that “nigga” is a term of endearment that empowers Black people by removing the sting of racism from the word, or if you’re a rapper who loves your “niggas” like you all escaped from Candieland plantation together and call each other “my nigga” to remember where you came from, then Abena Afreeka‘s “Nigga Recovery Program” just might be for you.
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Though the program has been in the conceptual stages for close to a decade, the Philadelphia therapist was motivated to kick it into overdrive after seeing the accolades heaped onto the shoulders of Hip-Hop heavyweights, Jay-Z and Kanye West, for their club smash, “Niggas In Paris.”
Because people of African descent have never engaged in the process of healing for experiences and effects of those experiences that came out of that term, continued use of the term without attending to deep emotional wounds is irresponsible on the part of all parties involved,” said Afreeka to The Philly Post. So I’ve developed this program, and am asking other folks of African descent, and Jay and Kanye, asking them and inviting them to engage in the process of recovery.
Afreeka goes on to explain the logistics of the therapy group and what participants can expect:
They will meet with me in a group. It’s a group intervention. There would also be some individual work. They would complete a cultural genogram, they would learn to understand their relationships, their history, they would work to learn and understand self. This is substance abuse, the substance being using the N-word. And many of them are benefiting from using that substance.
The use of the word has been in the news once again recently due to self-proclaimed comedian, Lisa Lampanelli, calling Lena Dunham, the creator of HBO’S hit series, Girls, “my nigga” on Twitter. Both women are White.
Me with my nigga @LenaDunham of @HBOGirls – I love this beyotch!! say.ly/oKP5chO—
Lisa Lampanelli (@LisaLampanelli) February 18, 2013In a strategic interview conducted by actress Pia Glenn for XOJane.com, a defensive Lampanelli felt compelled to explain to a Black interviewer why Black people shouldn’t be offended by White people using the word:
“The N-word ending in ‘er’ is far different context from the word ending in ‘a.’ Ask any person who knows the urban dictionary, it means ‘friend,’” she said. “And by the way, if I had put the word ending in ‘er,’ that would have been a very derogatory thing about Lena meaning she is less than me, and I view her as very above me. ‘A’ on the end means ‘my friend.’”
“I’ve played every comedy club and every theatre across the country for the last 25 years and seen a lot of audience members from different ethnic persuasions,” she continued. “I have been using these words since I started in comedy and guess what, people? I won’t stop anytime soon, just because your ass is up on Twitter. I have always used in my act every racial slur there is for Asians, blacks, gays, and Hispanics. To me, it’s acceptable if the joke is funny and if it is said in a context of no hate. It’s about taking the hate out of the word.”
*Crickets*
According to Afreeka, we live in a world of “White lunacy” where the use of the word “nigga” has become commonplace and the illness — brought about by historical trauma — must be treated like any other addiction, scientifically and systemically.
So how long will this treatment take?
“As with most treatment for folks in mental and behavioral health, treatment time varies,” said Afreeka. “You start with where the person is, assess and go from there. The cost is on a sliding fee scale. Rap artists like Kanye and company would be expected to give more.”
Abena Afreeka: Philadelphia Therapist Announces ‘N*gga Recovery Program’
Kirsten West Savali
Thu, 28 Feb 2013 00:38:51 GMT
Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center for El Barrio
Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center for El Barrio
The nation's leading Afro-Caribbean cultural center will begin construction in early 2014 on an eye-catching new $5.5 million home in a converted landmark firehouse on 125th St. in East Harlem.
Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center for El Barrio
DOUGLAS FEIDEN
Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:08:15 GMT
Big Gulps safe from Bloomberg’s soda ban
Big Gulps safe from Bloomberg’s soda ban
ALBANY — Big Gulps are safe for the foreseeable future.
Big Gulps safe from Bloomberg’s soda ban
GLENN BLAIN
Thu, 28 Feb 2013 01:08:38 GMT
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Fw: BeFORE it's too late...
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Black Leaders Call For Blackface Assemblyman To Resign From Leadership Post
Black Leaders Call For Blackface Assemblyman To Resign From Leadership Post
Dov Hikind‘s apology for donning blackface at a party in his Brooklyn home is falling on deaf ears, as Black leaders intensify their criticism of the assemblyman, the Gothamist reports.
Led by Assemblywoman Inez Barron, a group of African American leaders and other public officials gathered in from of City Hall in New York City Tuesday to lambaste Hikind. Barron began her attack on Hikind by criticizing his vocal support of racial profiling.
SEE ALSO: High School Students Cause Uproar As They Don KKK Masks During Hockey Game
“Dov Hikind’s latest antic is another reveal of who Dov Hikind really is,” Barron said. “His assertion that he did not know that appearing in blackface is offensive to black people is incredulous… Mr. Hikind, your egregious behavior is shameful, degrading, unacceptable and unworthy of a leadership position.“
Barron’s husband, City Councilman Charles Barron, went as far as saying that Gov. Andrew Cuomo and Speaker Sheldon Silver should remove Hikind from his position as Assistant Majority Leader. “His inability to repent, to generally repent and ‘get it,’ is another problem,” Barron said. “The governor needs to say something, and we need to go beyond condemnation verbally.”
Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg sided with Barron when the City Councilman asked him to comment on Hikind. “This time, we agree,” he responded.
SEE ALSO: The Blackest White Folks We Know
Conrad Tillard, a minister at the Nazarene Congregational Church of Christ in Bedford-Stuyvesant, said that Hikind’s actions were inexcusable.
“The NAACP…fought against ‘blackface’ in the ’20s and ’30s,” he said. “For an elected public official to feel comfortable not only dressing in blackface but defending his actions is an outrage that says to me that the dignity of African-American people is under attack. As a clergyperson, I am here to say that we will defend our dignity. We will not allow public officials, corporations or anyone else to demean or deprive us of the dignity that we deserve.”
At first, Hikind was very dismissive of the outcry directed at him over his decision to wear blackface, a form of theatrical makeup that has a well-documented history of mocking African Americans during minstrel shows for more than 100 years. On Monday, he took to his blog to post his initial response to the outcry:
Hikind said he wore the makeup during a party in which he and other attendees celebrated the Jewish holiday Purim.
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In an interview with the New York Times, Hikind said he was shocked that people would be so offended by the costume.
“My wife, you saw the picture, she was the devil,” Mr. Hikind said. “Believe me, she’s not the devil.”
“A lot of people just don’t realize, on Purim, in a sense, forgive me for saying this, you do crazy stuff,” he added. “It’s not done, God forbid, to laugh, to mock, to hurt, to pain anyone.”
Though, when you read the definition of Purim, it says nothing about offending people and doing “crazy stuff.” According to Judaism 101, “Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar. It commemorates a time when the Jewish people living in Persia were saved from extermination.”
Moreover, the spirit of the holiday, as it is explained above, falls oddly out of step with comments he made to the AP regarding racial profiling–especially when looking for terrorist suspects. Watch the video below:
Despite his missteps, Hikind told The Times that he learned his lesson. But he still ended up putting his foot in his mouth when he elaborated.
“Next year I was thinking I’d be an Indian,” he said. “But you know, I’ve changed my mind about that. I don’t think that’s a good idea. Somebody will be offended.”
Black Leaders Call For Blackface Assemblyman To Resign From Leadership Post
Terrell Jermaine Starr
Wed, 27 Feb 2013 03:22:07 GMT
'Downton Abbey' may jazz up Season 4
'Downton Abbey' may jazz up Season 4
PBS’ smash-hit retro-soap “Downton Abbey” may be moving more openly into the Jazz Age its upcoming season four. The show’s producers are looking to cast a black actor as a suave, charismatic jazz singer, according to a story in the London Sun.
'Downton Abbey' may jazz up Season 4
David Hinckley
Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:00:16 GMT
Heart disease, diabetes make a lethal combination
Heart disease, diabetes make a lethal combination
Heart disease and diabetes are two of the biggest public health problems in this country, affecting about 80 million and 25 million Americans, respectively. And as it turns out, the two diseases are related.
Heart disease, diabetes make a lethal combination
KATIE CHARLES
Wed, 27 Feb 2013 11:00:56 GMT
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Fw: REMINDER...Two very important African American History screenings not to be missed - Wed. Feb 27th and Thurs. Feb 28th at 7:00pm
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