Quad-Rants 4 Change

A few days ago, my Facebook timeline was abuzz with an Op-ed from the NY Times by Loretta Ross entitled; “I’m a Black Feminist. I Think Call-Out Culture Is Toxic.” I scrolled passed it on several occasions, knowing that I had to be in a darn near saintly frame of mind to handle that kind of Uncle Tom foolery. ............

Silencing voices that call for the end to oppression is just another way of propping up unjust systems. I can't have any part of that way of thinking...... so I wrote my own response:

"The most critical reason for a call-out is actually centered on the victim. Interrupting racially offensive behavior, (or any other –ism,) in the same forum or elevated forum and at the same volume as the aggression was made, is paramount to ensuring that anyone from the oppressed group in ear or eye shot knows that those transgressions were seen and will not go unaddressed."

Mad About Call-out Culture?: Stop Centering White Cultural Norms & Feelings A few days ago, my Facebook timeline was abuzz with an Op-ed from the NY Times by Loretta Ross entitled; “I’m a Black Feminist. I Think…

The events that played out between Rep. Meadows, Lynne Patton, Rep Tlaib and Chairman Cummings in today's Congressional Hearing was CLASSIC Racism followed by White Fragility at it's finest.
I break it down clip by clip..........

Racism and White Fragility in Congress - Meadows Vs. Tlaib So, in case anyone on the planet is still confused on this issue.... YOU CAN HAVE BLACK FRIENDS/EMPLOYEES AND STILL BE RACIST!!! This move by Rep. Meadows wa...

NEW BLOG ALERT: REDEFINING RACISM & WHITE SUPREMACY

American has been socialized to believe that racism is predicated on negative intent. This is just false. Impact on the oppressed group is the only measure of racism that matters.

Redefining Your Limited View of Racism & White Supremacy There is no denying that this country is strung collectively tight. Marginalize people have had an extra-large orange boot stepping on…

The holidays are literally around the corner and for some of us, that means time with family members who like to drop the occasional micro-aggression or down right racist statement.

I looked at other articles written on the topic of talking to relatives about their racist remarks and I just could not get down with all the, “remain calm” rhetoric, so I decided to summarize my own thoughts on the matter.

Who is with me?
Who will pledge to address any racism that may come up at their Holiday Dinner Table this week?

Will My Racist Uncle Please Pass the Gravy? – Karla Thomas — Quadrants4Change.com – Medium How to Check Your Racist Uncle Over the Holidays

Everyone is saying VOTE!!, VOTE!!

We are forgetting to tell people to DO THEIR RESEARCH!!

There are 98 people/referendums to vote on in my ballot.

YOU CANNOT GO IN BLIND! You can't just think you are going to vote democrat down the line.
There are a ton of Judges to decide to either retain or to vote in.

IF YOU CARE ABOUT EQUITY AND RACIAL JUSTICE, JUDGE ELECTIONS MATTER!!

I spent 90 minutes last night on https://www.ballotready.org/, but all the info was not there... for the judges in particular I had a second window open on https://www.injusticewatch.org/.

Injustice Watch has a summary on every single judge speaking on their history of fairness, if they have been accused of harsher than norm sentences, if they have been involved with any corruption, How often they have had cases over turned by the Illinois supreme court, Any involvement they have had with large cases, in particular POLICE who killed suspects or POLICE CORRUPTION cases.

YES, IT TAKES TIME.... BUT IT IS IMPORTANT!

Please take the time before you enter the voting booth to go on to Ballotready.org. At the end you can email yourself all your choices or print them to take it into the booth.

Your ballot explained See your ballot, research candidates and referendums, and vote informed

EVANSTON.... IN OUR BACK YARD

We are a super progressive community ...... "A BUBBLE" is what I hear a lot. Don't get me wrong, Evanston is doing work that many other communities are not, but sometimes the bubble mentality lulls us into a false feeling of utopia. Today I witnessed the quintessential micro-aggression between a swim teacher against 4 kids of color. 4 out of the 5 kids of color in a class were targeted in a class of about 18-20 total. No white kids were treated the same way.

I share this most people are blind to micro aggressions. Unless someone straight up yells the N-word, or shoots an unarmed black guy in the back, they don't see the racist impact of actions. A perfect example played out in front of me today and because my daughters have been the victims of things like this in the past, and I know the impact repeated exposure to incidents like this has had on them, I feel the need to share and educate.

Quad-Rants 4 Change - Micro-aggressions against kids of color If you live in a progressive town like I do, "no one is racist", or so they will all say. But yet still kids of color are encountering experiences that const...

NEW BLOG ALERT: False Privilege: Not Talking To Young Kids About Gun Violence!

"Insisting that the sheer nature of its difficulty is reason enough not to have this discussion with your kids is just you digging your heels deep into the recesses of your false privilege. Gun violence is not a category to which your white or socio-economic privilege extends!

Yes, this a scary and heartbreaking conversation for me to have with my 4-year-old. But so are the conversations about racism, sexism, and homophobia that I have had to bring into her consciousness at a very young age because of the reality of our family.

For generations, parents in under-resourced communities, some of which are riddled with gang violence, have been having these conversations with their young children.

They don’t dare say, "The conversation is too scary". It’s not a choice for them. It's a daily matter of life and death.

Longreads March for our Lives

False Privilege: Not Talking To Young Kids About Gun Violence! Unfortunately, we are all a little desensitized to mass shootings. However, something was different for me this time. For Parkland, I saw it played out minute by minute for what seemed like forever…

MY LATEST: Raising The Next Generation Of Fearless ♀️ Leaders
"As I look at the state of our country today, I am struck by the fact that we would be in a much better place if our history told a story of a more balanced leadership; ♂️& ♀️"

http://www.rubythemag.com/2018/03/raising-the-next-generation-of-fearless-female-leaders/

Raising The Next Generation Of Fearless Female Leaders Authentic leadership will bring forward the strength of the female voice and the power of female authority. This type of leadership requires worthiness, a willingness to fail and the ability to build strong relationships.