MadDAsHell
MadDAsHell's JournalWhat do you consider the most important "diversifiers" for our representatives?
I responded to Mr. Grayson's thread but would be interested in the opinions of DU at large.
For reasons that are unclear to me, when people talk about diversity, especially in terms of political representation, it seems to almost exclusively mean 1) what skin color the person has and 2) what gender they identify with. Yet in my personal opinion, if we truly want diversity of thought, opinion, and experience in Congress and the White House, then where that person grew up, what kind of household they grew up in, their education status, their health status, etc. ought to be way more important. Why is no one ever talking about needing more single parents in Congress, or people with a positive HIV status, or veterans, or people that have been homeless?
I don't get why we're always so obsessed with the skin color or what's between the legs of our representatives, as if more people of color or more gender diversity is magically going to make Congress do what we want. Is a filthy rich African-American from New York that much different than a filthy rich Caucasian from New York?
I realize that your life can be shaped by your race and gender, but are we saying that's the PRIMARY determination of what your life is like? Aren't a person's experiences much more important to how they'll vote than what they look like?
Family of man killed by Phoenix police: Don't focus on race
Source: USA Today
Two days after an unarmed Black man was killed by a White police officer in Phoenix at the height of national unrest over racially charged incidents, a grieving family wants to redirect the dialogue.
Rumain Brisbon's mother and girlfriend don't want the conversation about his death to center on race. Nora Brisbon, who is black, and Dana Klinger, who is white, want the conversation to be about the son, boyfriend and father they loved.
"This had nothing to do with race," Nora Brisbon said. "This is about Rumain and the wrong that was done to him, and I want people to focus on that. If they want to rally, let's support him positively."
Approximately 150 people gathered downtown at Phoenix Civic Space Park on Thursday night to "begin an active campaign of direct action and civil disobedience over the police-brutality-related death of Rumain Brisbon," said the Rev. Jarrett Maupin, a civil-rights advocate. Maupin, who organized the event, led demonstrators in practicing their protest chants before marching more than a mile to Phoenix police headquarters. That's not what Nora Brisbon was asking for. She said she would rather that the focus be on the positive aspects of her son's life.
Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2014/12/05/family-of-man-killed-by-police-dont-focus-on-race/19935523/
Also here, although I'm not familiar with this news source: http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/phoenix/2014/12/05/family-man-killed-phoenix-police-focus-race/19934383/. Just a headsup, both sites have automatically loading videos.
No real comment to add except to note that it's always interesting to see how the family views an incident vs. what it becomes when the media and others get ahold of it. Educational in light of a lot of the conversation here, the #blacklivesmatter campaign, and how this latest killing might be treated in the nationwide protests already underway.
The picture of Rumain and 2 of his daughters wearing Santa hats is heartbreaking.
Thoughts on how we can assist those who've been wading through the proper channels for legal status?
My best friend Adnan had to go back to Saudia Arabia after grad school because he was no longer a student and no longer eligible to stay in the U.S. He's spent significant time and dollars over the years to return, but as many of you know the process is complicated and very slow-moving.
The President's actions are a great start for many undocumented immigrants that are already here, but sort of a middle finger to those like Adnan who've followed the process that was required of him, but now sees that those who didn't follow the proper channels will likely get legal status long before he does.
I'd like to see some action on that front too, as there are a lot of individuals who've spent a lot of time and money trying to gain legal status who 1) deserve that status just as much as anyone else and 2) could bring a lot of value to the American economy (Adnan has 2 graduate degrees and owns his own business in SA).
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