damali ayo • gazing through big black eyes - Belated Birthday Post

Hello all!

i was on the road last week for my birthday and sent this to my email list. now that i am back, i’m able to post it on my blog.....

the one birthday present i ask from you is that if i’ve made a difference in your life, let me know. Sometimes the good news doesn’t get through as much as the challenges and criticisms.

cheers!
damali

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February 26, 2008


Today is my birthday and as you know, I like to send you an offering of one kind or another on this day. Today’s offering is pretty simple as I’m sick in bed (although not my own bed, I’m giving two talks this week) and finding ways to keep change going even through the muscle aches.

I gave Rent-a-Negro.com a bit of a facelift. It needed it! So with some nips and tucks, I’ve brought it current. I added some pictures from the book and fixed the broken rental form link. It’s up and running again with a fresh new attitude. Check it out at http://rent-a-negro.com. Remember to refresh your browser or clear your cookies so you see the new version.

Also, I asked my genius assistants, Heather and Grant to assemble some cross-issue links that I could send out to the list. Though I’ve been fighting racism since I was 4, my true passion is connecting races across groups and social change across issues. We have to work together and work for each other if we are going to make any real progress in this world. So here is a *start* on getting our knowledge and support cross-polinated:

They aren’t in any specific order- since our issues are all connected and overlapping, so are these links.
If any of the links fail to work when you click them- google the title and you’ll find them! Thanks!!

NewsMap : A visual Look at the news http://www.marumushi.com/apps/newsmap/newsmap.cfm

Blackademics http://blackademics.org/

Reappropriate - political and pop culture criticism blog focusing on race and especially Asian and Pacific Islander issues http://www.reappropriate.com/index.php

Expanding the news lens through ethnic media http://news.ncmonline.com/news/

Every year, with the publication of its “Top Ten” Most Underreported Humanitarian Stories, Doctors Without Borders spotlights 10 humanitarian crisis that have received little or no attention from the media. http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news/topten/index.cfm

Latino Pundit http://www.latinopundit.com/

Human Rights Campaign: http://www.hrc.org/ Essential LGBT resource

Rant Collective: anti-oppression principles and practices. http://www.rantcollective.net/article.php?id=17

So you think you’re an anti-racist? 6 critical paradigm shifts for well-intentioned white folks. http://www.edchange.org/multicultural/resources/paradigmshifts_race.html

10 codes of ethnics for white people in hip-hop. http://www.daveyd.com/commentarywhitelikeme.html

Going Green:A Guide to Eco-living and Activism from an African American Perspective http://blackandn2green.blogspot.com/2008/01/eco.html

Hip Hop Caucus: http://www.hiphopcaucus.org/ Good resource that has information about all of our causes

Southern Poverty Law Center: http://www.splcenter.org/ Great resource on racism and immigration injustice, including info on current civil rights litigation and news stories about racial injustice

Sustainable South Bronx: http://www.ssbx.org/ Kick ass project in the south bronx that combines environmental justice and anti-racism

Ella Baker Center for Human Rights: http://ellabakercenter.org/ Combines racial justice with environmentalism.

1 Sky: http://www.1sky.org/ Provides info on environmental issues but also gives people ways to mobilize and participate

Of course, there are tons of more issues to include, so please don’t consider this a comprehensive list. Heather, Grant and I expand it daily. This i’s just a beginning of expanding the tree that we are all growing together. Consider it....inspiration! I’m sure you have plenty of links to add, so send them our way and we’ll keep a good list compiled. I”ll add them to my web site in a few weeks.

I hope you have a wonderful day and find a special way to pamper yourself today- give yourself a gift on my birthday!

warmly,

damali