On National Coming Out Day, Thursday, October 11th, 2012, a coalition of South Asian lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) organizations and individuals in the U.S. will launch DeQH, the first South Asian LGBTQ national helpline. DeQH offers free, confidential, culturally sensitive peer support, information and resources by telephone for LGBTQ South Asian individuals, families and friends around the globe. The intent is to provide a safe and supportive ear for callers to share their concerns, questions, struggles or hopes through conversations with trained LGBTQ South Asian Peer Support Volunteers. Callers can reach the helpline at (908) FOR-DEQH (908-367-3374) 8pm-10pm on Thursdays and Sundays, Eastern Standard Time [5-7pm PST]. Days and times will expand over time. For general information, check out www.deqh.org and contact deqh.info@gmail.com.
Micropixie aka Single Biege Female recently debuted her new microfillum during a screening at 3rd i's 10th annual South Asian film festival. In this microfilm, SBF connects her experience within South Asia and the diaspora and the multiple borders that divide us, including our skin tones.
Hari Kondabolu breaks down Indian-American representation within U.S. media on W. Kamau Bell's new show Totally Biased.
Submitted by Hari Kondabolu
I just saw an ad for a children’s TV show called “Sally Bollywood: Super Detective” (see an episode here)
Sally Bollywood is a French-Australian animated series which revolves around a young Indian girl, who lives in a town called “Cosmopolis”. Her father, Harry, is a private detective, which inspired Sally to start her own private eye service, S.B.I. (Sally Bollywood Investigations), located in the basement of their family home. She, along with the help of best friend Doowee McAdam, solve cases presented to them usually by children attending their school. Most cases see Sally and Doowee traveling around their local neighbourhood and using technology to help with their numerous investigations.
I like that Sally is dark-skinned, wears a traditional red bindi and a total badass. Sends a cool message to little brown girls growing up in the west.
Submitted via sadesjourney
Big love to Thanu and Purvi for making this happen. And alllllllllll yall for supporting, contributing, all the feedback, and spreading the word. I honestly thought I was the only one who needed this space. It's heartwarming and heartbreaking that I was instantly proved wrong.
With deep love and gratitude,
Lakshmi Menon sports geometric fashions for Vision China September 2012 by Yasunari Kikuma
help send a crew from San Francisco State University to Philly
Jasmin's note: If you have the financial means, please help support these folks to raise over $1100 in four days! http://igg.me/p/228324 <3
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We are Sureshi, Clarence, Chris and Dinah. The four of us are attempting to raise funds to present our research at the 24th Cheikh Anta Diop International Conference.
Each year, the Cheikh Anta Diop International conference facilitates panels and papers on various aspects of the African and African Diaspora cultures, histories, thoughts, and practices from within the Afrocentric intellectual framework.
A little about us...
Dinah Clark will be presenting research on holistic ways of healing and the use of African-Centered healing practices with African American women who are survivors of rape and domestic violence. Clark will be paying special attention in her research to healers and the specific methods they utilize.
Clarence George III will be presenting research on Afrocentric pedagogy and using culturally relevant teaching and how the incorporation of African culture throughout the educational experience can improve outcomes and self efficacy for Black youth through their K-12 education.
Sureshi Jayawardene will be presenting on people of African descent in the Indian Ocean region, more specifically India and Sri Lanka. Jayawardene will be doing a content analysis of select scholarly texts to assess how the Africanity of African-descended populations in those regions has been engaged in intellectual discourses.
Christopher Roberts will be presenting on how Africana-Identified youth in Richmond, Stockton, and Oakland California can use Hiphop art and culture as a tool for radical healing from violence as they define it. Roberts' research will be Youth Participatory and it will utilize the Nzuri Model, Queer Theory, Black Feminism, Womanism, other academic theoretical frameworks along with youth articulated theory.
We all truly believe in and love the work that we do. But more than that, we love the communities we do the work for. We are driven by a passion and a desire to see a better tomorrow for our people across the globe. Attending this conference would be a huge step forward for us on this journey of making our dreams realities.
Dollar and A Dream
So here's the nitty-gritty...
We need $1200.00 for airfare, conference registration, as well as lodging for this conference. If able to attend, we will be flying from the California Bay Area, and staying in Philadelphia, PA for the conference. We
For all those who contribute we will personally send you tweets and live play by play of each of the individual presentations as well as create space for you to dialogue personally to each of the presenters online via social media. Additionally, and probably coolest of all, for donations of $75 or more, we will invite you to a dry run of our presentation in Oakland, CA to meet the presenters personally and share ideas and work of your own with our group as well.
All of the funds will go to the aforementioned purposes of airfare, conference registration, and lodging.
The Impact
Over the past year the four of us have grown in ways that words cannot do justice. By having the chance to learn and grow in our interests and ideas we have been able to become better activists, students, artists, leaders, and above all human beings. We hope and strive to share the work that we are engaged in with the world and build connections with comrades who share our fervor for our people. With your help we can make this happen.
Other ways to HELP :-)
$1, $10, $100 any amount you have we would appreciate. That said, we know that times are rough and that some people just can't contribute. We are thankful for and inspired by all of your support (monetary, spiritual, anything)! If you can't donate with money, we ask that you spread the word about our mission and research and if you see us around just give us a hi or a hug. Believe us, it helps. We thank you, we love you, and we are here for you, we are here for us, we are here for our people!
"When my sister and I were young, my paternal grandmother would play games while feeding us. She would close her eyes, hold out a morsel of food, and alternately cry out to the "pigeon" or the "crow" to come and stealthily eat the food. If she opened her eyes and caught us in the act, she would win.
It was one of the fondest memories of my childhood until I realized that our nicknames were based on colorism; my (relatively) fair younger sister was the pigeon while I, being the darker one, was always the crow.
I didn't even think of this as shadeism/ colorism for years, because I'd internalized this discrimination as a fact of life; realization belatedly dawned upon me when I was took a Gender Studies class in college.
I hate myself for resenting my grandmother since she's no more, but sometimes all I can remember is her shadeism and it hurts. Even after all these years. Sometimes affectionate discrimination from those who love us can hurt more than mean spirited taunts from passing strangers.
That being said, this seemingly innocuous experience, and innumerable others, have helped me grow and mature as a person. Shuttling between Bangalore and Berkeley over the past four years, I was always amused to see all the 'whitening' products in India and their 'tanning' and/or 'bronzing' counterparts in America. To be honest, for a while, I welcomed being exotified for my colour, reveling in America's praise and envy because in India, my skin only evokes condescension and unwelcome advice.
Gradually, I've come to see that the grass really IS greener on the other side. We all want what we can't have. And there's no surer recipe for unhappiness.
I still use Fair and Lovely daily (don't judge me!!!) but now it's only for its moisturizing properties; nothing else works quite as well for my combination facial skin. I wear sunscreen daily, but only to protect my skin from harm, not to 'prevent tanning (as though it's a disease!).' I embrace my love for the sun and spend hours at the beach whenever I can. Mentally, it's still a struggle; I wince when I see photos of me with fairer friends and unflattering lighting, I tend to use Instagram filters that make me look lighter (and therefore better, amirite? WRONG), and I meekly listen to the 'home remedies' prescribed by sympathetic, well meaning desi aunties.
But now I know better than to base my self worth on the amount of melanin in my skin.
Neither should you."
submitted by quietontheinside.tumblr.com
Jasmin's (moderator/editor) note: I am so grateful for everyone who bravely shares, especially this dear one. I understand the pressure to use or to think these products are the only ones that work for our skin. My pushback would be that there's a ton of chemicals that are not good for our health in the long-run. You can read more here and here and here (among other articles online). It's truly out of care, not judgement, that I share this information for the writer, for loved ones who use these products & others I don't know in real life. After I shared the articles, the writer's response was "I read the three articles you linked me to. They definitely opened my eyes and I will go out of my way to avoid ALL skin lightening products now. Thank you! I knew most of these skin lightening products are ineffectual, but I never considered the fact that they have damaging effects on health :/"
Vroom Mate (published in the September 13th, 2012 issue of The Hindu)
She’s crossed many milestones with ease. She’s made people sit up and take notice of her acts of daredevilry. Prince Fredrick tries to keep pace with biker Chithra Priya
People trip over small stones, not mountains: so says an unknown philosopher. Guided by this wisdom, biker girl Chithra Priya sets herself mountain-high goals and achieves them with the minimum of fuss. In December last, she rode a Honda CBR250 over 1,650 km in less than 24 hours and become the first Indian woman to pull off a Saddle Sore endurance ride of this kind (1,609.3 km in under 24 hours), a challenge offered by the Iron Butt Association. She has now set her sights on others mountains — riding on the golden quadrilateral and touching major Indian cities and towns and thereby covering the country in eight days and motorcycling around the world in 80 days.
The international ride is for the long term, but the all-India one is on the cards. “It will happen in January or February next year. Calculations have been pencilled in — I will have to ride a minimum of 800 km daily to make the distance in eight days,” says Chithra. “Circumnavigating the globe in 80 days is a passionate idea that I discuss with friends around the world. Building a network of people is essential to achieving this goal. I am on the job.”
Chithra, now 28, decided in 2010 to live by her two wheels and daredevilry. The choice required her to reorient her life to a different compass. Despite being qualified in visual communication and holding a Masters degree in digital film making and another in international business, she did not take up binding commitments in these areas. A nine-to-five job was ruled out.
Her fulltime biking career began amidst a cloud of scepticism but picked up momentum very soon. This year — and also in the previous one — her career graph has registered spikes. The chronicle of achievements in 2011 includes figuring in a multi-episode show on UTV Bindass that tracked down a group of Enfield-riding women called ‘Bikernis’ as they tackled the challenges on the bumpy road from Leh to Ladakh, being chosen as one of the top six bikers in India by xBHP from an initial entry of 20,000, going on a 15-day stunt tour of Tamil Nadu for Hero Honda and the recognition that came from the grand 24-hour, record-making, endurance ride.
Little wonder that in 2012, she was chosen by the Rotary Foundation as a cultural ambassador to Los Angeles. When the one-month programme came to an end, she extended her stay by two more months primarily to feel the pulse of the biking culture in North America. This interest led her to an international women riders festival in Toronto. Over the two months, she interacted with numerous bikers around the U.S. and Canada and hung out with some of them long enough to forge long-term friendships. Says Chithra, “When I embark on the 80-day global ride, I can count on them for help.”
When she is not exploring the treacherous terrain of endurance racing or taking on corporate biking assignments or going on exploratory tours with other bikers, Chithra trains to hone her circuit and drag racing and bike stunt skills. Her learning includes sessions with the California Superbike School and the Yamaha Racing School. From 2005, she has ended up on the podium many times.
Being committed to biking in its various forms suggests an insatiable passion for the sport, but also points to an underlying philosophy of life. She calls herself a non-conformist and an advocate for personal freedom. “People are alive when they follow their hearts,” she says. Being a full-time woman biker allows her put her philosophy into practice.
Every activity she undertakes is permeated by this thinking. While volunteering for an environment group, she hung from tall buildings to hold a poster that drew attention to a green issue. Serving another, she nursed injured snakes and owls back to health.
Chithra compares life to a journey across the unknown. Enjoying the wonders along the way is the only meaningful thing to do.
The biker girl sums it up, “The ride is the destination!”
Rosina Kazi
One of the foot soldiers in Toronto’s underground music scene, Rosina Kazi is the lead singer of the band LAL and she has recorded with State of Bengal, Toronto Tabla Ensemble, Titonton, Moonstarr, Abacus, da grassroots and more. She has been instrumental in the growth of many of the City’s artists and DJ's, providing venues and forums for their musical expression. More importantly, she has managed to add an air of consciousness and political awareness to many of those events, and this awareness is the most distinctive factor of her music. She grew up in the Canadian-Bangladeshi community where politics and art went hand in hand. She grew up singing and dancing traditional Bengali folk music and dance and went on to play in choirs and bands up until high school.
Rosina teaches and performs spoken word, which is another outlet for her passion for community and art. Through her community arts organization, ‘COMMUNITY CENTRE’, Rosina also works with youth and facilitates spoken word, song-writing and indie art making programs. Rosina created COMMUNITY CENTRE to teach youth and to support artists who needed support with their own projects. Thus far COMMUNITY CENTRE has produced three albums, for Palestinian poet Rafeef Ziadah (supported by the OAC), Brazilian singer Luanda Jones (OAC and Canada Council) and Queer Dance Music Artist Troy Jackson.
Rosina has been composing music professionally for over 12 years. She has recorded 4 albums with the band LAL, and has guest appeared on over 10 recordings (from techno to folk music albums). She also plays harmonium, and composes using samplers and laptops. Her passion is connecting with different communities and having a conversation through words and music. One of the ways she does this is to also program different festivals and community based programs such Masala Mehndi Masti, Afro Latin South Asian Festival, and Mayworks. She has created a style that incorporates her singing voice and her love of reciting poetry, which is very much informed by hip hop and spoken word cultures. She continues to teach spoken word workshops for organizations like Diaspora Dialogues, Buddies in Bad Times, AQSA Zine Collective, The Royal Music Conservatory and more.
Find out more about Rosina, lal and her revolutionary music here:
Brown Eyed Warrior - Lal - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xi1zRJ9JIlE
Murr ft. Rosina - My Best Dress: http://vimeo.com/24029446
lal website - http://cargocollective.com/lal/Blog submitted by warningshots
Kalki Subramaniam: Why she kicks ass
- Kalki is a transgender rights activist, actor, writer and celebrity from Tamilnadu, India. She also holds two Master’s degrees - in Journalism and Mass Communication, and in International Relations.
- She was signed up a film ( ‘Narthaki’) in a lead role. the film is an offbeat film about the life journey of a transsexual woman - her quest for happiness, love and finding her identity. She became the first trans film star in the world to do a lead role in a major feature film.
- She is the Founder of ‘Sahodari Foundation’ an organization working for the social, economic and political empowerment of transgender persons in India.
- She works with in the transgender community on several issues, by creating empowerment programmes like entrepreneurship training which can positively change the poor transgender and intersex people’s livelihood choices, and with the public, advocates against transgender discrimination and hatred and voices for inclusion of transgender and intersex people at all levels. She has lectured in numerous seminars, colleges and universities in India and USA.
- Kalki is also an actress and also makes short documentary films and is also the editor of the Tamil magazine for transgender women called ‘Thirunangai’. She works as an independent Media Specialist, and develops web based projects and is a script writer for documentary and animation films. She is currently working two of her books, a novel and a semi autobiography.
- She was awarded the ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ by the Lioness Club of Chennai in appreciation of her transgender rights advocacy work, and was also chosen by ‘Ananda Vikatan’ Tamil magazine as the ‘Top Ten Nambikkaikal’ (Youth hopes) for the year 2009.
- In 2010, she was invited by the government of the United States of America for a 16 days Human Rights activism & Awareness program through IVLP. She is the first transsexual foreign national to be invited by the United States government.
information via fuckyeahsouthasia picture via thirunangainews (reposting with another picture since the original post has one where Kalki's skin is lightened through make-up and lighting)
Go to http://www.sahodari.org to find out more about Sahodari Foundation, which Kalki founded. "Sahodari is not funded by inland or foreign agencies. Our work is supported through our own money and small donations from friends and well wishers." (Non-profits take notes on this grassroots fundraising!) Sahodari is a space for trans and intersex people to come together around the following goals:
- to promote social, political and economic equity and campaign for civil and legal rights of transgender and intersex people.
- to work for establishing social, economic, and environmental justice for transgender, intersex and gender non-conforming people and to eliminate oppression and exclusion based on such factors as race, ethnicity, gender, class, religion, legal status, sexual orientation, age, and disability.
- to prohibit discrimination based on "gender identity or expression" and ensure that the entire range of transgender, interest and gender non-conforming people are protected.
Go to http://projectkalki.blogspot.in/ to find more about Project Kalki, which empowers poor transgender women to become community journalist.
Lakshmi Menon sports geometric fashions for Vision China September 2012 by Yasunari Kikuma
I don't know my ethnicity. I don't know my father and my mother was adopted. I've never had a group of people I was able to identify with. Where I live, if you aren't caucasian then you're considered dark skinned and 'exotic'. People constantly ask me what my ethnicity is and get frustrated when I say I don't know. I've never had a group of people I could identify with before.. Until I found this blog. I just.. wanted to thank you. It's nice knowing I'm not alone.
(((((HUG))))I am filled with love and gratitude for you. There's more I'd share privately. I am so grateful you're reminded that you are definitely not alone
Hundreds of people from Tamil Nadu's Idinthakarai village, the epicentre of the protests against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Plant (KNPP), walked into the sea Thursday to give expression to their anger at moves to load uranium fuel in one of the two reactors. Buffeted by the waves, the villagers say they will carry out their 'jal satyagraha', peaceful water protest, till 6 p.m.
"We will stay in the sea, we will protest against the loading of uranium fuel in one of the reactors. No one can stop us from protesting," said Immaculate, one among the many agitators standing in waist-deep sea water. Forming a human chain in the sea, the villagers from around the Kudankulam nuclear plant followed a similar 'jal satyagraha' in Madhya Pradesh against the Omkareshwar Dam on the Narmada. On Wednesday, protestors ended their 48-hour relay fast in Idinthakarai village in Tirunelveli district to protest police use of teargas shells and batons to disperse crowds and the constabulary conducting house-to-house searches. The over one year-long protests against the Kudankulam nuclear power project turned violent Monday, leaving one agitator dead in police firing in Tuticorin district and several injured in a police baton charge. India's atomic power plant operator Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) is building two 1,000 MW reactors with Russian help at Kudankulam since 2001. Villagers under the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy (PMANE) banner have opposed the project for the past one year, fearing for their safety, especially since the nuclear disaster at Fukushima in Japan March 2011. Three days ago, Madhya Pradesh government agreed to give land as compensation and reduce the height of Omkareshwar Dam, as the protestors in Khandwa district stood in neck-deep water from Aug 25 to block the dam work. - IANS
Further reading:
- Official statement from the People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy
- Kudankulam controversy: Supreme Court refuses to stay fuel loading at nuclear plant
- 20,000 Villagers Occupy Koodankulam Nuclear Power Plant day's events on 9/9/12 & more photos
- More information about the activists, including People's Movement Against Nuclear Energy, Arundhati Roy's statement of support, and Aruna Roy's condemnation against the police crackdown.
- There are at least 10 reasons to say 'no' to nuclear energy
- BBC News India's coverage
Photo credits:
You honestly didn’t think I’d go through this Labor Day long weekend of singing “AAAAaaaaaayyyyyeeee, sexy lady,” all of the time and that I wouldn’t blog about this song, did you? This is the Tamil version to Gangnam Style, otherwise known as the K-pop replacement to the Call Me Maybe song stuck in your head.
BOOM. Now it’s stuck in yours.
My name's Jasmin Thana. I started this blog out of pure desperation. I wasn't expecting a response, much less the one that's been and continues to be received with an open & grateful heart. I honestly was excitedly overwhelmed & didn't know how to respond.
Admittedly, I felt under pressure to post continuously that I wasn't taking pause to reflect. I received reflections of a consistent criticism that I completely agreed with. The criticisms caused me to finally pause. When I did, I needed to figure out how to move forward with intention that felt good for me. While posts on here have slowed down, I have been having heart and mind opening conversations with those I've met on via this blog and those I know in real life. Gratefully, because of these conversations, I now remember my ability to say no and to have boundaries to hold this space for what my intentions are.
I messed up a lot on the first week. I shared space on this blog with South Asian people who may have stories of hurt from colorism, but who aren't dark-skinned. In looking back, I also didn't properly credit the names of the people who were submitting. This is partly from feeling overwhelmed & partly not understanding Tumblr's functions properly, but it was never intentional. There are so many people on here that I did not even know of. I am eternally grateful for the support in submitting personal & public figures' images and stories to fill these pages with dark-skinned South Asians & Indo-Caribbeans. I promise from here on out that I will hold my boundaries to keep this space for dark-skinned people who are South Asian, those of the diaspora and Indo-Caribbeans. I also promise to properly document credit for all submissions.
I know there's a need for a space beyond South Asians to speak of colorism and to share tools of resiliency and resistance. I was sitting with this idea for weeks (and this site is less than a month and a half old). I have finally concluded that I don't have the space to hold that right now. If someone reading this does want to hold that space, I have lots of stuff that's been contributed but unpublished as it is not of/by a dark-skinned South Asian/Indo-Caribbean. I will gladly share all with you. Please contact me at darklovelyandsouthasian@gmail.com
I have also heard requests to expand through social media with Facebook and Twitter. I have started both and invite you to like/follow if you're a part of those mediums. Facebook = http://www.facebook.com/darklovelyandsouthasian & Twitter = https://twitter.com/DarkLovelyandSA Right now both will have links to posts & may expand after I land back in the States in December. Until then, my access to the internet is limited and will just be automatic updates via Tumblr.
I hope that these steps will make this site a safer space for those that are dark-skinned people of South Asia, the diaspora and Indo-Caribbeans to share their stories of resiliency and resistance in the face of colorism. I want to cultivate a space that moves beyond the hurt of colorism. Our skin is our largest organ in our body. If we hate our skin, imagine what it does to our minds, hearts and spirits. This is a space for dark-skinned South Asians, but I hope in centering our stories and lifting up positive images of us it creates ripples of self-love and self-acceptance for people of all shades. We must - individually and collectively - love ourselves deeply and fully. There's no other choice. May this be one tool among many for us to learn to do that.
Starting today in New York City, please show up and support YaliniDream as she joins Adeeba Rana and Kelly Zen-Yie Tsai on stage for six sure to be heart moving performances.
In the eleven years since that fateful morning, the world has changed, and so has Tsai. This week, the spoken word artist and New York City resident debuts her new theater ensemble “Say You Heard My Echo.” The new work explores the impact of 9/11 and its aftermath on three Asian American women: an activist, a veteran who’s returned home, and a woman whose family has been affected by interrogation. Each woman is in conversation with a spiritual figure: Mary Magdalene, Jesus’s female disciple; Guan Yin (associated with compassion as venerated by East Asian buddhists); and Aisha (one of the Prophet Muhammad’s wives).
“Sometimes people talk about 9/11 as a very different moment in time, that it’s just something that happened and now we’re in a different place,” Tsai told Colorlines.com. “But I think that people’s lives went in a different direction. People started to reorganize their relationships, their priorities and their values, the ways in which they moved across the city.”
The context for the work is decidedly political. The past decade has seen an unprecedented expansion of U.S. military action, domestically and abroad. Thousands have been killed in recognized wars, while the Obama Administration’s continued use of unmaned drones to kill suspected enemies around the world has come under increased scrutiny. New York City has also become the testing ground for aggressive and controversial surveillance of its residents, particularly in Muslim communities. The NYPD has set up vast spying networks of Muslim Student Associations along the East Coast, and set up a special division to keep an eye on Muslim community spaces. Seth Freed Wessler reported for Colorlines.com that none of those efforts ever gleaned a single lead or terrorism-related investigation.
For Tsai, those politics fed into what ultimately became a collective project. She approached the idea of the play on last year’s anniversary. Nico Daswani, program manager at the Asian American Arts Alliance, gave Tsai a writing prompt that asked her to explore the impact of 9/11 on Asian American communities. What followed was months of writing and re-writing, journaling and pushing past moments of writer’s block. And the work was guided, editing, and shaped by a community of artists, including director Jesse Y. Jou, Flushing Townhall Workshop Production, and the Asian Women’s Giving Circle. Not to mention the more than 150 people who raised over than $8,000 on Kickstarter to help fund the project.
To find out out more information including ticket information, please visit Say You Heard My Echo's Facebook page