Stories about Ethnicity & Race from July, 2014
Why Some Caribbean Authors Are Accusing a Trinidad-Born Novelist of Being a ‘Latter Day Columbus’
After a U.K.-based writer wrote a blog post exploring modern Caribbean writers, some authors accused her of ignorance about the region's literary history.
Being A Black West Indian in Britain
Jamaican author Kei Miller's blog post about “the anxieties of being a black poet in Britain” draws from several personal experiences, leading him to the conclusion that “the act of writing certain black experiences has to be one of translation – as surely as we translate from one language into...
Indians Are Using Social Media to Tackle Racism Against Northeasterners
Many people from the India's northeastern states, called the “Seven Sisters,” face racial discrimination. The country has seen several cases of deadly violence against northeasterners in recent months.
The Hypocrisy of Outrage Against LGBT Rights in Jamaica
An off-colour comment by a Jamaican sports commentator who “dampened the moment of post World Cup celebrations with his shouts of ‘Heil Hitler’ on national television” leads author and blogger Kei Miller to pen a letter to the editor illustrating why his countrymen are living a double standard – outraged...
How to Become a Good Father
Panamanian Joel Silva Díaz elaborates what many people wonder, especially men: how to be a good father. On his personal blog he describes his challenges with his own father and his goals as a father: …Recuerdo que veía como un juego el buscar un tema de conversación, debido a mi...
As Trinidad & Tobago's Military Hunts Down a Killer, Some Wonder Who's ‘Guarding the Guards’
Trinidad and Tobago's military is accused of flouting the law in the search for a soldier's killer. This isn't the first time authorities there have policed at any price.
Archaic Laws Continue Jamaica's History of Injustice
The anti-sodomy law is not the only archaic statute up for repeal in Jamaica. Author Kei Miller is astounded that a proposal to rescind the country's “blatantly racist Obeah Laws” has met with resistance: We seem to like throwing fits whenever it is suggested that we review and correct our...
Are Black Americans More Aware of Race Than Black Caribbeans?
Blogger Aidan Neal argues that black Americans are "so grossly affected by racism that they almost lay-wait offensive behavior," while race isn't a common topic of discussion in the Caribbean.
“Racism is Not an Issue in Latin America” — Seriously?
In an opinion piece for the New York Times titled “Latin America's Talent for Tolerance,” Enrique Krauze proposes the notion that Latin America is less prone to racism: […] European-style racism — which not only mistreats and discriminates but also persecutes and, in the very worst cases, tries to exterminate others...
This Woman Marched Thousands of Kilometers Across Pakistan For Her Brother and Balochistan's Missing People
The news about the missing persons of Balochistan remains one of the most unheard stories in the world. Activist Farzana Majid has dedicated her life to make these voices heard.
Jamaica's Anti-Gay Protesters Don't Want to Be Called Homophobic
Groups protesting a possible repeal of a colonial-era anti-sodomy law have tried to distance themselves from being labeled "homophobic." Caribbean bloggers insist on calling a spade a spade.
Warning Against Racial Nationalism in Hong Kong
Evan Fowler told a story about a conflict happened to his friends in a subway train. He compared the incident with its Sydney version in which a Chinese descend was called a “gook” and found Hong Kong passengers’ indifference to the racist remarks disturbing: I believe the incident that my...
Putin Tells Rabbis that Goebbels Was “Talented”
Vladimir Putin recently called Joseph Goebbels, the Nazi Minister of Propaganda, as a “talented man” in the meeting with an international delegation of rabbis.
This Project Is Helping France Unlearn Its Stereotypes About Romania
Newsroum is a school project from La Sorbonne journalism school in France that is dedicated to fighting clichés about Romania.
Australian Activist Jock Palfreeman Is Taking On Bulgaria's Prison System From the Inside
People are calling for a Twitter "Day of Solidarity" with Palfreeman, imprisoned for murder. He says he was defending himself after trying to stop an attack on two Roma boys.
Albanian Activists Condemn ‘Terrorist’ Murder Verdict in Macedonia
Balkan Insight reports that an ethnic Albanian NGO in Macedonia has condemned a recent court verdict convicting six Albanian men for the execution-style murder of five ethnic Macedonians on Christian Orthodox Easter in 2012. The NGO claims that the entire investigation and verdict were politically-motivated and set against the six...
