The Fire Next Time - Maya & Sofia 28th Aug 2016

[Sofia]

I had time to read as you can guess. No hurry on your end ok :D

[Vivian]

Hi! Sofia. I got your PM and responded, but thought I'd just paste here so if you have other questions I can try and help. Just remember, I am not a constitutional lawyer, though I do consider myself somewhat informed about the issue.

RE: Voting laws, IDs, etc.

I can see how this is confusing. It's confusing for Americans.

In America, we have state rights and federal rights. The Constitution lays out what the FEDERAL government can or cannot do and what individuals can and cannot do. States can make laws as long as they don't contradict the Constitution--these cases go to the Supreme Court for decisions.

The Constitution has no amendments regarding elections, which makes this a gray area of law. States decide how to run primaries, how votes are distributed (winner take all or proportional), and all aspects of elections.

We do not have a mandated federal ID. People can get passports, but if you don't travel outside the US you don't need one. If you don't drive a car, you do not need a driver's license (state ID). States do offer ID cards which are like a driver's license but without the privilege of operating a motor vehicle, but they cost money. Social Security cards are the closest thing to federal identification and it has no picture; it is a tax payer ID.

The issue of voter ID laws is heavily influenced by attempts to limit minority voters' access in several states, primarily those which practiced segregation (Jim Crow laws). During the 1960s, the Civil Rights Act was passed that forbade discrimination on the basis of sex, race, creed, etc. Voting laws are seen as part of this is discrimination, harassment of minorities and the socio-economic disadvantaged.

It's a mess. Let me know if this makes sense or you need more.

[Sofia]

Thank you so much Vivian, you're a treasure :D. It does make more sense than it did before.

[Maya]

Sofia - I didn't have time to read yesterday and i'll only be able to read much later today.
You read ahead if you want - i'll catch up when I catch up.

(view spoiler)[hope the kiddo if feeling better today. (hide spoiler)]

[Sofia]

No worries Maya, i got another book to read.

(view spoiler)[the kiddo is healing some pain but all ok :D (hide spoiler)]

[Maya]

“The Dear Pledges of Our Love” -
wasn't boring for me at all. I thought it was interesting especially in the part of Ms Odell's description of Peters and her insinuation that Phillis owed the development of her talent to her white mistress. Prejudiced much?

[Maya]

White Rage -
hmm, Coates is better at this.
I thought this was way to short to have any impact.
Then I saw that this author has a whole book on this subject:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

I guess this was sort of a summary of her book.

[Maya]

Cracking the Code
yes, the need for belonging. I understood how complicated it was for her - this difference between the DNA and what she's always identified as.

[Maya]

Sofia wrote: "No worries Maya, i got another book to read.

[spoilers removed]"

ok, caught up with you now. Will read a bit more later.

happy to hear everything is ok :)

[Maya]

Queries of Unrest

This one is a poem and I loved it.

[Sofia]

Maya wrote: "Queries of Unrest

This one is a poem and I loved it."

I loved it too :D

[Sofia]

Maya wrote: "White Rage -
hmm, Coates is better at this.
I thought this was way to short to have any impact.
Then I saw that this author has a whole book on this subject:
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2..."

A good over view. This was why I asked Vivian to explain the id/voting bit in this essay.

[Sofia]

Maya wrote: "“The Dear Pledges of Our Love” -
wasn't boring for me at all. I thought it was interesting especially in the part of Ms Odell's description of Peters and her insinuation that Phillis owed the deve..."

Odell wrote through her lenses. It's a case of Reader Beware of who is writing.

[Maya]

Blacker Than Thou

(view spoiler)[I felt a little strange reading this. Not because of the content but the writing style. It kind of was like a series of tweets. But in the end I thought it was a strong piece:

"Those who wear blackface reduce blackness to skin in order not to be white. The implication of course is that black people are just miscolored or extra-dark white people. "

This woman though, Rachel Dolezal, I felt she maybe had a mental illness of some kind, I didn't get the impression she realized the consequences of her actions. Read her Wikipedia page - isn't is weird that her parents outed her? Also, she is writing a book on racial identity!! (hide spoiler)]

[Sofia]

I had the same thoughts about Rachel as well. I think not being American surrounded by American happenings and media made me loose some of the nuances of this piece of writing which is strong as you say.

[Sofia]

Da Art of Storytellin’ (a Prequel) by Kiese Laymon
Southern love (view spoiler)[I liked the different nuances that shows a different culture from North to South. Again some references flew over my head. But his mention of Blackface and stereotypes made me remember that when I was little and we got our first tv our channel used to show The Black and White Ministrel Show (blackface) - Our tv channel was not very diversified in it's showing. (hide spoiler)]

Black and Blue by Garnette Cadogan(view spoiler)[ I really liked this one, the differences down in the street. Reminded me of when Ifemelu went to the US and noted the difference from an all black country where being black is normal to becoming an outsider, a bad outsider at that. /spoiler> (hide spoiler)]

[Maya]

Da Art of Storytellin - same with some of the music names but after all I'm not the intended audience for this essay. This was about finding your own identity and beauty.
I think blackface was the subject of the previous essay, no?

[Maya]

I finished my Tana French book last night so I'll read more essays today.

[Maya]

Black and Blue - my favorite essay so far. Very personal, thoughtful and emotional. The ending especially - so good!

I thought about Ifemelu too :)

[Sofia]

[Sofia]

What did you think of Frank and Shay?

[Maya]

Sofia wrote: "What did you think of Frank and Shay?"

I posted a comment under my status. Specifically about Frank and Shay - I bought the whole thing: their relationship, who they've become as adults as a result of what happened in their childhood and teenage years. The only thing that was a bit annoying was Frank's memories occurring to him at the most convenient times. But as a whole I thought Frank was interesting and complex - self aware even of his own denial, often selfish, with an aggressive streak in him but also with a gentleness that he's never managed to suppress fully. I loved Liv - his ex - their conversations were the best parts to discover things about Frank.

[Maya]

Sofia wrote: ""

Right back at you :)

It's a national holiday here today - the unification of Bulgaria and Eastern Rumelia (Southern Bulgaria which remained in the Ottoman Empire after the Berlin Treaty) in 1885.

[Sofia]

Great national holiday then. Next Thursday is a public holiday for us celebrating our win in the Great Siege of 1565 against the Turks (Ottomans) :D

[Maya]

That's 300 years before us. We couldn't even do it by ourselves. Mother Russia came to rescue. Which was soon followed be even darker years ...

[Sofia]

well it was the Knights of St John and us. At the time we had been given as a gift to the Knights.

[Maya]

The Condition of Black Life Is One of Mourning -

(view spoiler)["The hope is that recognition will break a momentum that laws haven’t altered." -
This was in the line of Baldwin's plea but i didn't feel it went very deep. (hide spoiler)]

[Sofia]

Reading this widened my knowledge of the Black Lives Matter campaign of which I knew nothing before.

I've noted that I'm finding certain references familiar now after reading these essays, which means that something is sticking in my mind.

[Maya]

I keep comparing to Baldwin and Coates unconsciously - the former with his eloquence and thoughtfulness, the latter with the intense series of emotions - and i just find most of these essays lacking. I like those that contain personal experiences but the others don't do much for me to be honest.

[Maya]

Know Your Rights!

(view spoiler)[I liked this one, the beginning especially when she thinks about when and how to tell her children how to protect themselves from the police. (hide spoiler)]

[Sofia]

The different perspectives serve to fill in the colours/blanks for me :-)

[Sofia]

Maya wrote: "Know Your Rights!

I like this one as well and the art. Still fighting a very basic fight.

[Maya]

Composite Pops

(view spoiler)[so, according to this author only cisgendered male and female can be fathers and mothers? Don't agree at all.

Actually, i don't agree with his boys need a father and girls need a mother theory as well. (hide spoiler)]

[Maya]

Theories of Time and Space - a poem

(view spoiler)[oh that was a good one. everywhere you go something new awaits you and you change with every new experience. At least that's how i interpret it. (hide spoiler)]

[Maya]

This Far: Notes on Love and Revolution

(view spoiler)[really liked this, not just because it was probably the first essay with a strong message of hope but how it was written - personal, intimate.
Have to remember to check what this author wrote. (hide spoiler)]

[Sofia]

Maya wrote: "Composite Pops

so, according to this author only cisgendered male and female can be fathers and mothers? Don't agree at all.

Actually, i don't agree with his boys need a father and girls need a ..."
I liked the irreverant style of this one and how he saw the good stuff amid the rest and honoured it. I don't know why he qualified male and female. I do think that mothers and fathers both have a role and that the roles are not interchangeable.

[Sofia]

Maya wrote: "This Far: Notes on Love and Revolution

really liked this, not just because it was probably the first essay with a strong message of hope but how it was written - personal, intimate.
Have to remem..."

When he talked about their closing down bridges and so on I thought how come I did not know about that. The tv news showed only the burning cars and the looted shops and I'm not on twitter so that revolution flew right by me.

[Maya]

Message to My Daughters

(view spoiler)[another one by an immigrant, but not as good as Notes on Love and Revolution imo. I see though that the common thread is the parents' exhaustion and constant fear. (hide spoiler)]

[Maya]

Sofia wrote: "When he talked about their closing down bridges and so on I thought how come I did not know about that. The tv news showed only the burning cars and the looted shops and I'm not on twitter so that revolution flew right by me. "

yeah, plus we are too far away for out international news people (on TV, radio or local news websites) to think such news would be of any interest to their public.

[Sofia]

They did think the burning cars were of interest. So it seems like only a point of view was put forward :( keeping the rest of the world disinformed only works in favour of one side.

[Sofia]

Maya wrote: "Message to My Daughters

[spoilers removed]"

The parallel with refugees was shockingly true.

[Maya]

Sofia wrote: "They did think the burning cars were of interest. So it seems like only a point of view was put forward :( keeping the rest of the world disinformed only works in favour of one side."

I don't know. What would be the interest of my local TV station, for example, to show this specific conflict from one side only? I think because that would not be important news for us they just don't bother. Especially now in the last 2 years they are preoccupied with showing scary images of immigrants at our borders. Plus the obligatory report of the new levels of unemployment and poverty, of the next "big success" of our PM getting more money from the EC, etc. ... just no time for anything else.

[Maya]

So overall a couple of essays stood out for me, I really liked the two poems but I can't say that the contemporary voices own the power of the words the way JB did. Still, I'm glad I took the time to hear them.

[Sofia]

Me too. JB remains in a place of his own. But i liked the diversity of the different voices plus my knowledge if current matters has increased.