Hello Meltingpot Readers,
This week has been chock full of meltingpot news and stories. It’s hard to keep up. But don’t worry about it, I got you covered. Here’s what you should know for the week that was, April 8, 2019.
Colorism in the News
Colorism Makes Headlines. This isn’t hyperbole, The Guardian Newspaper’s US edition decided to create a series exploring colorism. Yay! This is progress for a mainstream publication. What isn’t progress, however, is how they framed colorism as an issue in the “Black community.” Colorism is a disease that doesn’t discriminate, and we’re never going to cure it if we don’t acknowledge that colorism is a global pandemic, not a specialized virus that only Black people can get.
And speaking of colorism making news, in a story that could have been headlined, “And also, water is wet,” NPR ran a story highlighting a new Pew research study about colorism in the Latinx community. The big findings were that darker skinned Latinx people face more discrimination than lighter skinned Latinx in the United States. Excuse me, Captain Obvious is calling me, I have to go to take his call. Moving on…
Colorism Makes the Dictionary One more piece of colorism news, one that warms my little activist writer’s heart. Colorism has officially been added to the dictionary. It is now recognized as an actual word, which means the fight to destroy it, can begin in earnest.
White Fragility in the Dictionary
“White Fragility” is Officially a Thing. When does a thing become a Thing? When that thing gets a place in the dictionary. And, drum roll please, the term “white fragility” has officially found its place on the (cyber)pages of Dictionary.com. Author Robin DiAngelo, is credited with coining the phrase “white fragility” to mean “white emotional irrationality, ignorance, arrogance and resistance on issues of racism.” DiAngelo’s 2018 book, White Fragility is a New York Times bestseller and has done much to popularize the term.
Cultural Appropriation at a Chinese Restaurant
White Woman Fails Cultural Appropriation Test with New Chinese Restaurant. So, a white woman in New York City with a background in nutrition and “healthy eating,” opens a Chinese Restaurant called Lucky Lee’s that specializes in “clean Chinese food.” The “clean” label means her food is gluten, wheat, refined sugar, GMO and MSG free. But she originally advertised her food as food that won’t make you feel “bloated and icky,” like Chinese food presumably made by actual Chinese people. The woman, Arielle Haspel, has defended her right to open a Chinese restaurant and has backtracked on some of her earlier remarks that were deemed culturally insensitive. But still, the debate rages on -on the Internet of course- as to whether or not this constitutes cultural appropriation, racism, or just plain white privilege.
And speaking of non-Chinese people selling Chinese food...singer Patti LaBelle is apparently also about to start selling a new line of frozen “Chinese foods” to add to her growing grocery store staples like sweet potato pie. But, having seen the type of “Chinese food” she’s offering – bacon cheeseburger dumplings – I’m just confused. Let’s put a pin in this one and see what happens.
Introducing the My American Meltingpot Book Club!
There’s nothing I love more than good books about diverse people. I also love talking about books with like-minded friends. So, I’m thrilled to announce the launch of the My American Meltingpot Book Club!
The MAMP Book Club celebrates authors of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds who tell stories that showcase multicultural connections. Books are selected because of the quality of the writing, the uniqueness of the story told and the possibility for a transformative experience after reading.
Our first book will be announced on May 1 for the general public, but if you want to find out early what our book picks will be, get a chance to win free copies of the book, discounts and other literary goodies, please sign up for the MAMP newsletter to stay in the know. Sign up is over there ===> on the right side of this blog.
