Film Trailer: "Soundtrack for A Revolution"

New documentary on music and the southern civil rights Movement:

Fannie Lou Hamer

Do you know who Fannie Lou Hamer is? Everyone should...

1138 Reasons Equality Matters

You may wonder what, precisely, is the big deal about gay marriage? Why has marriage become a key civil rights issue within the gay and lesbian community? Why does it matter? Well, when it comes to our civil society, the way rights, privileges and resources are dished out, it matters A LOT. Here are 1138 reasons why full marriage equality matters. This is about CIVIL RIGHTS, plain and simple. As long as society confers all these rights and privileges to married couples, EVERYONE should have access to that institution and those rights and privileges.

Check it out. Spread the word...

Reprise: Got Milk?

UPDATE: The following entry was originally posted on September 7, 2008, but I thought it made sense to repost it now since "Milk" is finally in theaters. Drea and I saw it yesterday and enjoyed it very much. The pacing lags a bit in the second half of the film and a couple of the characters are thinly drawn, but overall we thought it was great and that there were several strong acting performances in it.

_________________

Here is the trailer for Gus VanSant's new film, "Milk," starring Sean Penn. It looks great. Check it out:


Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person to hold a major political office in the United States when he became a City Supervisor for San Francisco in 1976. (TIME Magazine has named him one of the 100 heroes of the 20th century.) Known as "The Mayor of Castro Street," Milk was an advocate for the rights of gays and lesbians, as well as an advocate of civil rights, more broadly. In 1978, Milk and S.F. Mayor Willie Moscone were gunned down at the capitol by a disgruntled former supervisor, Dan White, who then got off with a very light sentence after a controversial "twinkie defense" defense by his lawyers. White later committed suicide in 1985.

On the historic night of his election, Harvey Milk told supporters, "This is not my victory -- it's yours. If a gay man can win, it proves that there is hope for all minorities who are willing to fight." In his famous "Hope speech," Milk said,

"[Y]ou have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home got too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up….

So if there is a message I have to give, it is that if I’ve found one overriding thing about my personal election, it’s the fact that if a gay person can be elected, it’s a green light. And you and you and you, you have to give people hope."

In an audio note he left, which was to be listened to only upon his assassination, Milk wrote, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." You can listen to the audio tape here:


After the assassinations, Beat poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, wrote, "An Elegy To Dispel Gloom":

Let us not sit upon the ground
and tell sad stories
of the death of sanity.
Two humans made of flesh
are meshed in death
and no more need be said.
It is pure vanity
to think that all humanity
be bathed in red
because one young mad man
one so bad man
lost his head.
The force that through the red fuze
drove the bullet
does not drive everyone
through the City of Saint Francis
where there's a breathless hush
in the air today
a hush at City Hall
and a hush at the Hall of Justice
a hush in Saint Francis Wood
where no bird tries to sing
a hush on the Great Highway
and in the great harbor
upon the great ships
and on the Embarcadero
from the Mission Rock
to the Eagle Cafe
a hush on the great red bridge
a hush in the Outer Mission
and at Hunter's Point
a hush at a hot potato stand on Pier 39
and a hush at the People's Temple
where no bird
tries its wings
a hush and a weeping
at the Convent of the Sacred Heart
on Upper Broadway
a hush upon the fleshpots
of Lower Broadway
a pall upon the punk rock
at Mabuhay Gardens
and upon the cafes and bookstores
of old North Beach
a hush upon the landscape
of the still wild West
where two sweet dudes are dead
and no more need be said.
Do not sit upon the ground and speak
of other senseless murderings
or worse disasters waiting
in the wings.
Do not sit upon the ground and talk
of the death of things beyond
these sad sad happenings.
Such men as these do rise above
our worst imaginings.

There is also an excellent 1984 documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk." If you'd like to watch it via YouTube, click here:

part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7
part 8
part 9
part 10

Here is the review from "Siskel and Ebert"

Here is the original tv news report of Milk and Moscone's murder.

Here is footage of the "white night riot" after Milk's assassination and White's light punishment.

Here is footage of the gay pride parade in San Francisco in 1978.

Dropping Knowledge

Can a single question make change?


What is your question?

This is what "Dropping Knowledge" is all about. Check it out.

Post your question and see what others have to say. Read other people's questions and post your response. Hear what some of the world's leading humanistic thinkers have to say in response to these questions, too...

Here is the original short film the people behind Dropping Knowledge made to introduce their idea and the website:


Here is a more recent 8-minute film on Dropping Knowledge, what it is all about, what they have accomplished so far and what they hope to do in the future:

Dropping Knowledge is very cool and inspiring. I hope you will spend some time with the website and will pass the link along to other people you know...

King, Obama and the Politics of Hope

This is an interesting essay, written by Michael Honey, who recently published an excellent book on King's involvement with the Memphis garbage strike in 1968. Honey argues, "After experiencing the limitations of local organizing, [Obama] went on to law and politics to find greater leverage. He also tapped into Martin Luther King’s politics of hope. That combination has opened up the country to the possibility of new politics, and new goals." Check out the whole thing...

... is hope a transformative political concept?

Say It Loud!

The Anti-Gay Blacklist?

Along with Obama's inspiring, historic victory came some electoral disappointments, too. In Nebraska, voters decided to amend the state constitution to ban state affirmative action programs. And in three states, basic civil rights for gays and lesbians were curtailed. Most notably, California residents overturned a recent court decision which had legalized gay marriage.

Even so, one of the promising developments in the wake of these defeats has been a spate of nation-wide protests in support of full equality for the GLBTQ community. Even here in Omaha, an estimated 250 people came out w/ signs last Saturday and filled the pedestrian bridge that crosses Dodge Street, the main drag in the city. Not bad for Nebraska...

It now appears that a boycott of companies that supported the California ban is gaining some steam. One group - Anti-Gay Blacklist - has generated controversy by listing the names of both companies and individuals who donated $1,000 or more to support Proposition 8. It's the individuals that are controversial. Is it ethical to go after individuals, with the threat that they might lose their jobs, or not get hired, because of their political views? Or, is this a fair use of the right to boycott? Emma Ruby-Sachs doesn't think it is cool to go after individuals...

If individuals perform their jobs well, if they are good students or good human resource managers, then they should be allowed to continue in their positions. Until their actions in the workplace create harm -- dismissals based on political affiliation should not be encouraged.

This movement for equal rights is based on the fundamental belief in the equal protection of the law. That means equal protection for us, but it also means equal protection for the people who hate us. We can create an effective movement for full protection for LGBT people under the Constitution without working to unemploy individuals who, because of faith or bigotry, don't think we deserve to be treated equally. That is a movement of which we can all be proud.

What do you think? Is it cool to target individuals?

Olbermann Special Comment: Gay Marriage

This speaks for itself:

Got Milk?

Here is the trailer for Gus VanSant's new film, "Milk," starring Sean Penn. It looks great. Check it out:


Harvey Milk was the first openly gay person to hold a major political office in the United States when he became a City Supervisor for San Francisco in 1976. (TIME Magazine has named him one of the 100 heroes of the 20th century.) Known as "The Mayor of Castro Street," Milk was an advocate for the rights of gays and lesbians, as well as an advocate of civil rights, more broadly. In 1978, Milk and S.F. Mayor Willie Moscone were gunned down at the capitol by a disgruntled former supervisor, Dan White, who then got off with a very light sentence after a controversial "twinkie defense" defense by his lawyers. White later committed suicide in 1985.

On the historic night of his election, Harvey Milk told supporters, "This is not my victory -- it's yours. If a gay man can win, it proves that there is hope for all minorities who are willing to fight." In his famous "Hope speech," Milk said,

"[Y]ou have to give them hope. Hope for a better world, hope for a better tomorrow, hope for a better place to come to if the pressures at home got too great. Hope that all will be all right. Without hope, not only gays, but the blacks, the seniors, the handicapped, the us’es, the us’es will give up….

So if there is a message I have to give, it is that if I’ve found one overriding thing about my personal election, it’s the fact that if a gay person can be elected, it’s a green light. And you and you and you, you have to give people hope."

In an audio note he left, which was to be listened to only upon his assassination, Milk wrote, "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." You can listen to the audio tape here:


After the assassinations, Beat poet, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, wrote, "An Elegy To Dispel Gloom":

Let us not sit upon the ground
and tell sad stories
of the death of sanity.
Two humans made of flesh
are meshed in death
and no more need be said.
It is pure vanity
to think that all humanity
be bathed in red
because one young mad man
one so bad man
lost his head.
The force that through the red fuze
drove the bullet
does not drive everyone
through the City of Saint Francis
where there's a breathless hush
in the air today
a hush at City Hall
and a hush at the Hall of Justice
a hush in Saint Francis Wood
where no bird tries to sing
a hush on the Great Highway
and in the great harbor
upon the great ships
and on the Embarcadero
from the Mission Rock
to the Eagle Cafe
a hush on the great red bridge
a hush in the Outer Mission
and at Hunter's Point
a hush at a hot potato stand on Pier 39
and a hush at the People's Temple
where no bird
tries its wings
a hush and a weeping
at the Convent of the Sacred Heart
on Upper Broadway
a hush upon the fleshpots
of Lower Broadway
a pall upon the punk rock
at Mabuhay Gardens
and upon the cafes and bookstores
of old North Beach
a hush upon the landscape
of the still wild West
where two sweet dudes are dead
and no more need be said.
Do not sit upon the ground and speak
of other senseless murderings
or worse disasters waiting
in the wings.
Do not sit upon the ground and talk
of the death of things beyond
these sad sad happenings.
Such men as these do rise above
our worst imaginings.

There is also an excellent 1984 documentary, "The Times of Harvey Milk." If you'd like to watch it via YouTube, click here:

part 1
part 2
part 3
part 4
part 5
part 6
part 7
part 8
part 9
part 10

Here is the review from "Siskel and Ebert"

Here is the original tv news report of Milk and Moscone's murder.

Here is footage of the "white night riot" after Milk's assassination and White's light punishment.

Here is footage of the gay pride parade in San Francisco in 1978.

Happy 90th Birthday Nelson Mandela!

Today is Nelson Mandela's 90th birthday. One of the greatest living freedom fighters in the world, Mandela stands as a living symbol of hope for oppressed and tyrannized people everywhere. Thank you Papa Mandela! Your life example is an inspiration to MILLIONS who are struggling for a more humane and democratic way of being... you have changed the world! We are all blessed by your continued presence here with us.

NPR has produced and posted a really good audio history of Nelson Mandela. Please check it out!

Here is another NPR piece.

Mandela's "pivotal moment."

NPR also has a slew of other excellent programs reflecting on the tenth anniversary of apartheid's demise in South Africa. Again, great stuff. Please check it out!

PRI has an interesting segment on race and reconciliation in South Africa today.

Listen to an interview on Democracy Now! related to Mandela's 90th birthday.

A 1961 news report on South Africa featuring an early interview with Mandela:


Here is the historic BBC news report of Mandela's release from prison in 1990.

A PSA of Mandela speaking of tolerance:


Mandela's 1994 Inaugural Speech:


George Bush making an ass of himself, declarinjg "Mandela's dead":


Mandela has inspired many musicians to create songs in his honor. Take a listen to a few:

Mikey Dread, "Nelson Mandela":


Special AKA, "Nelson Mandela":


New York Ska-Jazz Ensemble, "Nelson Mandela":


Bono, the Edge, David A. Stewart, Abdel Wright, Youssou N'Dour, "Long Walk to Freedom":


Various, "Amandla":


And, of course, Nelson Mandela was not the only Freedom Fighter in South Africa. Not everyone made it through the struggle alive and we should also pause on this special birthday to remember those martyrs. To that end, here is Peter Gabriel singing his classic, "Biko," in honor of Steve Biko, who was imprisoned, tortured and murdered by the racist government of South Africa... all for advocating equality, democracy and justice for black people in his country:


What will each of us do to carry on this struggle? What will each of us do to honor the legacy of Mandela, Biko and all the other Freedom Fighters across the globe? What will YOU do?

Two 4th of July Stories

Here are two July 4th essays by former members of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Something to think about other than hot dogs, hamburgers, fireworks, flags and war...

Story #1 by Bruce Hartford

During the Vietnam War, Reber Boult and I were working with anti-war GIs at a large Marine base in Asia. Among many other endeavors, we helped them put out an underground, anti-war newspaper called the "Semper Fi." Of course, it was illegal for Marines to possess a copy of the "Fi" on base, let alone distribute it. Most of our distribution was clandestine, and the "Fi" was passed from hand to hand by Marines throughout Asia. But Reber and I did stand just outside Main Gate distributing the "Fi" to passing Marines, an action that brought back strong memories of handing out voter-registration and boycott leaflets in Selma Alabama and Grenada Mississippi.

One 4th of July, the brass decided to have a huge celebration on base and they invited the Lord High Admiral of the Pacific Fleet. We all felt that this auspicious occasion should be honored by a special edition of the "Semper Fi." On one side we reproduced the actual Declaration of Independence, on the other side we provided a modern-English translation of the few sentences in the Declaration that make it a world-historic document. And we discussed the relevance of those few sentences to the War in Vietnam and the conditions endured within the Corps by enlisted Marines. As I recall the text we preached from was:

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men
are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator
with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --- That to secure
these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving
their just powers from the consent of the governed, --- That
whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish
it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation
on such principles and organizing its powers in such form,
as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and
Happiness. When a long train of abuses and usurpations,
pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to
reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it
is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide
new Guards for their future security."

Six courageous Marines take this special edition of the "Fi" on base, and openly distributed, telling people that July 4th celebrates the Declaration of Independence and perhaps folk might be interested in reading what it actually says.

Instant pandemonium and hysteria! The six are immediately hauled off to the Brig for possession and distribution of subversive literature. Then a strange thing occurs, other Marines begin asking why brothers are being busted for handing out the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July? Hello!?! An angry crowd gathers outside the Brig and there is ferment,
consternation, and disruption throughout the base. It becomes so widespread that it even makes the local evening TV news.

Reber begins planning a brilliant and aggressive defense of six GIs charged with the subversive "crime" of handing out the Declaration of Independence on the 4th of July. The Marine brass sees the hand-writing on the wall, and to avoid even more embarrassment they drop the charges and discharge the six from the service. But because they knew we would contest any Dishonorable or Bad Conduct discharge, they have to give the six a good discharge with all veterans benefits. On the day that came down they were the six happiest Marines in the Western Pacific War Zone.

Story #2 by Frances Beal

"Frederick Douglass’ Legacy for Our Times" (9 July 2002)

This year’s celebration of the 4th of July marks the 150th anniversary of Frederick Douglass’ presentation at the Rochester Ladies’ Anti-Slavery Society, What to the Slave is the Fourth of July? Douglass used the occasion to expose the full shame and treachery of slavery and in unmitigated terms castigated the nation’s pieties, in particular the cherished memories of its revolution, its principles of liberty and its moral and religious ethos. Fellow-citizens he proclaimed, above your national, tumultuous joy, I hear the mournful wail of millions! whose chains, heavy and grievous yesterday, are, today, rendered more intolerable by the jubilee shouts that reach them. If I do forget, if I do not faithfully remember those bleeding children of sorrow this day, ’may my right hand forget her cunning, and may my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth!’ To forget them, to pass lightly over their wrongs, and to chime in with the popular theme, would be treason most s candalous and shocking, and would make me a reproach before God and the world.

In all too many ways, the Douglass speech has as many lessons for us today as it did for people who despised racism and tyranny in 1852. One is reminded that the colonies suffered under the boot of the British crown, which gave rise to resisters who had not adopted the fashionable idea of this day, of the infallibility of government, and the absolute character of its acts, and who presumed to differ from the home government in respect to the wisdom and the justice of some of those burdens and restraints. They went so far in their excitement as to pronounce the measures of government unjust, unreasonable, and oppressive, and altogether such as ought not to be quietly submitted to.

As the fireworks and firecrackers explode around us this year, let us take to heart Frederick Douglass’s reminder that there was a time when to pronounce against England, and in favor of the cause of the colonies, tried men’s souls. They who did so were accounted in their day, plotters of mischief, agitators and rebels, dangerous men. To side with the right, against the wrong, with the weak against the strong, and with the oppressed against the oppressor! Here lies the merit, and the one, which, of all others, seems unfashionable in our day. The cause of liberty may be stabbed by the men who glory in the deeds of your fathers.

And so it is today in the year 2002, when those who wrap themselves so tightly in the U.S. flag in order to justify the erosion of the civil rights and civil liberties are not the ones who carry the legacy of Independence Day. In fact, Ashcroft and friends and the rest of the Bush regime are the ideological inheritors of the Tories who opposed any alteration in the social and economic relations of society, who relished the privileges of the status quo, and hated all change except silver, gold and copper change! as Douglass declared.

One has to ask then, where is the Frederick (or Frederica) Douglass of the year 2002?

Though the voice may be muted, it is there. It can be heard in cities from Cambridge to Berkeley, which have passed resolutions that call the U.S. Patriot Act a threat to the civil rights of the residents of their communities. The unlikely town of Carrboro, North Carolina is among their ranks as is Ann Arbor and Detroit, Michigan and Denver, Colorado. The California City of Fremont is considering a similar resolution this week. It can be heard among Japanese Americans who are all too cognizant of their shameful internment in concentration camps during World War II brought on by a distorted and racist implementation of national security concerns. That voice is raised in organizations like the Black Radical Congress and Black Voices for Peace and among courageous congressional representatives like Barbara Lee, Cynthia McKinney and Jesse Jackson, Jr. among others. Even some voices from the Federal bench have been raised to curb the unrelenting and unconstitutional congression al abuses of immigrants, Muslims, South Asians and Middle Easterners, and to stem the resurgence of racial profiling as a legitimate police practice.

When all is said and done, however, many of our freedoms have been seriously curtailed. In conjunction with Independence Day, the American Civil Liberties Union of Northern California (ACLU-NC) has released a scorecard summarizing the toll of the Bush Administration’s policies on constitutional freedoms. The tally: Bush Administration, 20; Constitution, 0. The scorecard and an accompanying chronology itemize dozens of government actions that have limited constitutional freedoms since September 11th. They include the expansion of wiretapping and secret search powers under the U.S. Patriot Act; the Attorney General’s directives ordering broad questioning sweeps of young men of Middle Eastern and South Asian origin; the erosion of attorney-client privilege, media freedom and immigrants’ rights; and the dismantling of regulations governing intelligence-gathering procedures.

Freedom is a constant struggle, says a well-known gospel, and so it is today. As we celebrate the courage it took to break the chains of colonialism in the 19th Century, as well as noting the lack of grit in allowing slavery to stain this nation’s history for years to follow let us ponder these final remarks by Frederick Douglass:

Pride and patriotism, not less than gratitude, prompt you to celebrate and to hold [July 4th] in perpetual remembrance. I have said that the Declaration of Independence is the ringbolt to the chain of your nation’s destiny; so, indeed, I regard it. The principles contained in that instrument are saving principles. Stand by those principles, be true to them on all occasions, in all places, against all foes, and at whatever cost.

Frances M. Beal is a former political columnist for the San Francisco Bay View newspaper and commentator on national black politics.

"Kill This Petition": Omaha World Herald Slams Anti-Affirmative Action Petition

Omaha World Herald - June 5, 2008

"Kill this petition"
Radio ad is odious; Connerly petition effort deserves defeat.

The approach outside an Omaha drugstore seemed simple enough. It started with two questions:

"Excuse me, sir, are you a registered voter?"

"Yes."

"Would you sign a petition to eliminate all gender and race discrimination in Nebraska?"

Wow.

The approach was from a paid petition-gatherer for the "American Civil Rights Institute," a California organization seeking to eliminate affirmative action in states across the country.

Certainly, the notion of eliminating "all gender and race discrimination in Nebraska" is quite desirable. But that is not at all what this effort is about.

The petition seeks to amend Nebraska's Constitution so that it prohibits all consideration of race, ethnicity and gender in hiring, scholarship or contracting decisions made by public agencies, including the University of Nebraska system.

That means it would be forbidden to provide scholarships to benefit African-American students. Or women. It also means it would be prohibited to promote the growth of minority-owned or female-owned businesses through the awarding of contracts for that purpose.

Such prohibitions would be bad for Nebraska and bad for the university system.

The petition-getherers now have resorted to a radio commercial that features controversial rhetoric from the Rev. Jeremiah Wright (of Barack Obama fame) and refers to the "bitter rhetoric" of State Sen. Ernie Chambers.

Whether or not you agree with the positions of Sen. Chambers (the only African-American member of the Nebraska Legislature), the focal point of debate should be policy, not the Omaha senator. And Wright, a Chicagoan, has no relevance at all to this Nebraska debate.

How ironic that the ad, which calls for Nebraskans to "reject the politics of race and hate," itself shamelessly stokes racial resentment. Meanwhile, the outsiders who have made high-dollar contributions to the promotional campaign can blithely walk away, having done their best to work Nebraskans into a frenzy along racial lines.

If ever there was a petition effort that disgraced itself with its own words, this is it. The radio ad doesn't merely take the low road. It takes the lowest road.

What is happening is that California businessman Ward Connerly is attempting to foist his will on the people of Nebraska with a race-fixated drive to change our constitution.

With the unveiling of this remarkably ugly ad, one would hope the scales would fall from Nebraskans' eyes about the nature of the outside interests involved in the circulation campaign. These outsiders have now made clear to which lengths they're willing to go in whipping up racial tension and anger.

The radio ad is vile, and the petition drive is wrong. It doesn't "eliminate" discrimination; it enables discrimination. The Nebraska Legislature saw through this and rejected putting this on the ballot via the legislative process.

Don't buy into this garbage. Don't sign the petition. It's bad for Nebraska.

Obama, the Kennedy Mystique and the Call to Service

Barack Obama filled in for an ailing Ted Kennedy at the commencement exercise at Wesleyan University this afternoon. An estimated 25,000 attended and were said to be tremendously enthusiastic (that is 17,000 more than last year's 175th celebration, which was a pretty big deal at the school!).

In honor of Ted, Obama said:

"It is rare in this country of ours that a person exists who has touched the lives of nearly every single American without many of us even realizing it."

Then roaring, "Ted Kennedy is not done just yet!"

Obama's emotional salute reduced Ted's son Patrick to this:

And then Patrick regained enough composure to offer this powerful sign of approval:

Here is a crowd shot:

Here is Ted's step-daughter, Caroline:


Yet another really fine speech by Barack and a touching tribute to Ted Kennedy, as well as the whole Kennedy legacy. (Why are we not focused on this type of thing, rather than the latest silliness from the desperate Clinton campaign?) I sure hope My Man wins in the Fall and puts his money where his mouth is in terms of this call to service.

Enough militarism.
Enough materialism.
Enough selfishness.

More peace and compassion.
More resonance and depth.
More selflessness and interconnectivity.

We need to put the unity back in the community and reconnect with our higher purpose, which is to build a truly democratic, truly egalitarian and truly JUST society for ALL people. This is our noble charge, should we choose to accept it...

But for right now, ladies and gentleman, it is my proud honor to introduce the next President of the United States of America, Barack Obama:


(the speech runs 20 min. I hope you will take the time to watch.)

CIVIL RIGHTS ALERT! CA Supremes Do the Right Thing...

California's Supreme Court struck a blow for civil rights and full equality for all citizens today when it overturned that state's ban on gay marriage, making California the second state where gay and lesbian residents can marry. Kudos to the left coasters for getting with the program. 2 states down, 48 more to go...

Here is the L.A. Times article on the decision.

Here is the NYTimes article on the decision.

Here is the San Francisco Chronicle article on the decision.

Loving Mildred Loving...

Mildred Loving died on May 2. Along with her husband, Richard, Mrs. Loving was at the center of the historic 1967 Supreme Court decision which finally struck down laws that forbid inter-racial marriage, what was then known as "miscegenation." The Lovings are heroes of recent American history.

Thanks, Mildred and Richard. Thank you...

I hope you will take a moment and read Mildred's statement in 2007, on the 40th anniversary of the Loving decision:

Loving for All

By Mildred Loving

Prepared for Delivery on June 12, 2007,
The 40th Anniversary of the Loving vs. Virginia Announcement

When my late husband, Richard, and I got married in Washington, DC in 1958, it wasn’t to make a political statement or start a fight. We were in love, and we wanted to be married.

We didn’t get married in Washington because we wanted to marry there. We did it there because the government wouldn’t allow us to marry back home in Virginia where we grew up, where we met, where we fell in love, and where we wanted to be together and build our family. You see, I am a woman of color and Richard was white, and at that time people believed it was okay to keep us from marrying because of their ideas of who should marry whom.

When Richard and I came back to our home in Virginia, happily married, we had no intention of battling over the law. We made a commitment to each other in our love and lives, and now had the legal commitment, called marriage, to match. Isn’t that what marriage is?

Not long after our wedding, we were awakened in the middle of the night in our own bedroom by deputy sheriffs and actually arrested for the “crime” of marrying the wrong kind of person. Our marriage certificate was hanging on the wall above the bed. The state prosecuted Richard and me, and after we were found guilty, the judge declared: “Almighty God created the races white, black, yellow, malay and red, and he placed them on separate continents. And but for the interference with his arrangement there would be no cause for such marriages. The fact that he separated the races shows that he did not intend for the races to mix.” He sentenced us to a year in prison, but offered to suspend the sentence if we left our home in Virginia for 25 years exile.

We left, and got a lawyer. Richard and I had to fight, but still were not fighting for a cause. We were fighting for our love.

Though it turned out we had to fight, happily Richard and I didn’t have to fight alone. Thanks to groups like the ACLU and the NAACP Legal Defense & Education Fund, and so many good people around the country willing to speak up, we took our case for the freedom to marry all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. And on June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court ruled unanimously that, “The freedom to marry has long been recognized as one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness by free men,” a “basic civil right.”

My generation was bitterly divided over something that should have been so clear and right. The majority believed that what the judge said, that it was God’s plan to keep people apart, and that government should discriminate against people in love. But I have lived long enough now to see big changes. The older generation’s fears and prejudices have given way, and today’s young people realize that if someone loves someone they have a right to marry.

Surrounded as I am now by wonderful children and grandchildren, not a day goes by that I don’t think of Richard and our love, our right to marry, and how much it meant to me to have that freedom to marry the person precious to me, even if others thought he was the “wrong kind of person” for me to marry. I believe all Americans, no matter their race, no matter their sex, no matter their sexual orientation, should have that same freedom to marry. Government has no business imposing some people’s religious beliefs over others. Especially if it denies people’s civil rights.

I am still not a political person, but I am proud that Richard’s and my name is on a court case that can help reinforce the love, the commitment, the fairness, and the family that so many people, black or white, young or old, gay or straight seek in life. I support the freedom to marry for all. That’s what Loving, and loving, are all about.

Here is an excerpt from the Supreme Court decision:

Marriage is one of the "basic civil rights of man," fundamental to our very existence and survival.... To deny this fundamental freedom on so unsupportable a basis as the racial classifications embodied in these statutes, classifications so directly subversive of the principle of equality at the heart of the Fourteenth Amendment, is surely to deprive all the State's citizens of liberty without due process of law. The Fourteenth Amendment requires that the freedom of choice to marry not be restricted by invidious racial discrimination. Under our Constitution, the freedom to marry, or not marry, a person of another race resides with the individual and cannot be infringed by the State...

The Supreme Court concluded that anti-miscegenation laws were racist and had been enacted to perpetuate white supremacy:

There is patently no legitimate overriding purpose independent of invidious racial discrimination which justifies this classification. The fact that Virginia prohibits only interracial marriages involving white persons demonstrates that the racial classifications must stand on their own justification, as measures designed to maintain White Supremacy.

Despite this Supreme Court ruling, such laws rested unenforced in several states until 2000 when Alabama became the last state to remove its law against mixed-race marriage.

Here is a very good NPR story on the 40th anniversary of the Loving decision (there are also several other related stories that are linked to this audio story; check 'em out!): "Loving Decision: 40 Years of Legal Interracial Unions"

Here is a great 3 minute documentary, featuring Julian Bond - the President of the NAACP - and his wife, on the 40th anniversary of the Loving V. Virginia decision. Please check it out:


And here is my former congressional representative in Madison, Wisconsin, Tammy Baldwin, standing in congress to commemorate Loving v. Virginia. Tammy is an amazing woman, a fantastic representative and the first and only openly gay woman in congress. She is a pioneer and another courageous hero in our recent history. Check out what she has to say:


This decision has special meaning to Drea and I...


So, again, thank you Mildred and Richard Loving for paving the way for so many of us. You deserve your rightful place alongside Rosa Parks and all the other heroes of the modern civil rights movement...

Mexican Superheroes!

Over at Mother Jones, they recently ran a photo-essay by photographer Dulce Pinzon, titled, "Mexican Superheroes," and with a secondary headline that read, "It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's a Mexican Immigrant". MJ described the 4-photo spread this way: "Pinzon posed undocumented Mexican immigrants in superhero costumes and captured their feats of derring-do in New York City." I thought it was worth reposting...

Here are the photos and the text that appeared with each one:

Photo #1: "It's Clobberin' Time"
Luis Hernandez (The Thing) works in demolition and sends $200 a week home to Veracruz.

Photo: #2: "Super Fry"
Oscar Gonzalez (Human Torch) is a cook. Originally from Oaxaca, he sends home $350 a week.

Photo #3: "Spidey Cents"
Window washer Bernabe Mendez (Spider-Man) sends $500 a month home to Guerrero

Photo #4: "Kitty Sitter"
Minerva Valencia (Catwoman) works as a nanny. She sends $400 a week home to Puebla

Any thoughts or comments about this photo-essay, or its meaning?

John Legend, "Pride (In the Name of Love)"

Here is John Legend singing a new version of U2's classic song, "Pride (In the Name of Love)," which is about MLK. The song is featured in a new documentary on King to be aired on the History Channel.

(NOTE: Unfortunately, you need to endure a U.S. Air Force ad before the song. Sorry about that. It is supremely ironic on a story about King's life and legacy since he was an ardent critic of militarism. But, alas, to post the song, the ad comes along with it...)

The Peace Sign Turns 50!

It is supremely fitting in some kind of cosmically ironic way, that the 40th anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination is also the 50th anniversary of the peace sign. King was one of the greatest advocates for peace, love and justice of the 20th century and the peace sign is the greatest symbol of peace over the last half century!

Seriosuly, I hope you will take some time today to reflect on the peace sign and on peace, in general. Our world is in so much despair. As Dr. King said,

“We have learned to fly the air like birds and swim the sea like fish, but we have not yet learned the simple art of living together as brothers.”

How might each of us play a part in creating a more peaceful planet? What might each of us do differently in our lives to help foster a more peaceful and just way of being?

Please, put down your iPod, your laptop, your cellphone, your PDA, and whatever other technology dominates your life, and think about it...

To help you along, here are a few timely resources:

Here is what the Washington Post wrote about the peace sign today. A choice quote:

Unveiled at a British ban-the-bomb rally on April 4, 1958, the peace symbol's peak of potency was in the 1960s, when it was the emblem of the anti-Vietnam War movement and all things groovily counterculture. (Said its late creator, British graphic designer Gerald Holtom: "I drew myself . . . a man in despair . . . put a circle around it to represent the world.") The symbol has marched in service of many causes over the years: civil rights, women's rights, environmentalism, gay rights, anti-apartheid, the nuclear-freeze movement and the latter-day antiwar crowd.

This website is dedicated entirely to the peace sign's 50th b-day!

Or, here are some crazy Euros creating a human peace sign:


And, of course, this anniversary would not be complete without a rendention of "Give Peace a Chance" by John Lennon, this one from Toronto in 1969:

James Orange, "Gentle Giant" of the Civil Rights Movement, Passes

We lost another legend of the civil rights movement recently when James Orange passed at the too young age of 65. Though he carried a large physique, Orange was fiercely committed to non-violence; many called him a "gentle giant" of the Movement. Born in Birmingham, Orange participated in the historic civil rights campaign there in 1963. According to Pulitzer Prize-winning author Taylor Branch, “The children’s demonstrations in Birmingham had transformed James Orange from hulking high school drifter to precocious minister of nonviolence.” Orange also served as an organizer for the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and helped organize gang members in Chicago to non-violence. He was also well-known for his deep baritone voice and for his preaching. Orange was jailed and beaten on many occasions. During the 1965 Selma voting rights campaign, it was Orange's arrest - and fears he had been lynched - that spurred a protest march that resulted in the murder of Jimmy Lee Jackson by police. Jackson's death and Orange's incarceration prompted the Selma-to-Montgomery march, which was the catalyst for the 1965 Voting Rights Act. Later in life, Orange worked for the AFL-CIO where he helped organize more than 300 labor campaigns. He was also an ardent supporter of the rights of "illegal" immigrants. All tolled, Orange was arrested for non-violent civil disobedience more than 100 times in his life!

Here is the Washington Post obituary. Here is the Guardian UK obit and the New York Times memorial.