Search Results for: blog america and racism

American Idol Accused of Racism

The newest season of “American Idol” kicked off with last year’s judges Steven Tyler and Jennifer Lopez being replaced with the feuding Mariah Carey and Nicki Minaj. While some may be talking about the rotating judges, a new controversy has arisen.  Nine former “American Idol” contestants – all African American males – are suing the show, claiming that they were kicked off the show as a part of a racist plot. The former contestants are Corey Clark (Season 2), Jaered Andrews (Season 2), Donnie Williams (Season 3), Terrell Brittenum (Season 5), Derrell Brittenum (Season 5), Thomas Daniels (Season 6), Akron Watson … Continue reading →

Jeremy Lin and Racial Slurs

I don’t like the NBA, but lately, I can’t help but hear the name Jeremy Lin. Apparently, he’s the wunderkind of the New York Knicks. Several things make Lin special. Number one, this undrafted, claimed-off-waivers player is running circles around many players in the league. Second, he played basketball at Harvard and wasn’t even there on an athletic scholarship. That makes him the first Harvard player to play in the NBA since Ed Smith played 11 games with the Knicks in the 1953-54 season. And finally, Lin is one of the few Asian Americans in history to make the NBA … Continue reading →

Racism, Current Events, and Halloween History

Not many people know what Halloween meant to the early Celtic Christians of Ireland. I knew that the name “Hallow-even” meant “eve of All Hallows (All Saints’ Day), a feast day still celebrated by many Christian denominations. I knew that one of the origins of trick-or-treating was the custom of children holding lanterns (perhaps made of hollowed-out squash with a candle inside) and going from house to house offering prayers for the dead. The homeowners then served “soul cakes”. I’m not exactly sure what those were, but that fact may be why I always associate Halloween with doughnuts. That was … Continue reading →

Book Review: Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture

My last blog wondered about the impact of anti-immigrant feelings, worsened by economic conditions, on international adoptees and their families. In that blog, I quoted from the book Orientals: Asian Americans in Popular Culture. This blog will be a further review of that book. The first thing I should note is, as I said last time, that the word “Orientals” is deliberately used by the author to demonstrate negative stereotypes of Asians as too irreconcilably different by nature to ever fit into American society. Do not use the word “oriental” when referring to people today. Use Asian-American if you need … Continue reading →

It’s Twins for Molly Ringwald and a Break Up for Prince Harry

Falling under my “Better Her than Me” category, I just read that actress and ‘80s sensation Molly Ringwald is expecting twins. I find it hard to believe that the Ringwald is even old enough to have children. Yes, I know, I probably watched Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club too much, but the now 40 year old Ringwald is expecting twins with her husband Panio Gianopoulos. The couple already has a five year old daughter Mathilda Ereni. Right now, Molly is starring in the ABC Family show “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” which deals with teen pregnancy. Molly … Continue reading →

Book Review: A Euro-American on a Korean Tour at a Thai Restaurant in China

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The uniqueness of A Euro-American on a Korean Tour at a Thai Restaurant in China is that adoptive parent Chris Winston has not only encouraged her children to feel pride in their Korean heritage, but has made connections with Koreans and Korean-Americans on a scale most adoptive parents have only dimly imagined. Winston helped to begin both Friends of Korea, a regional group (in Sacramento) for adoptive families that welcomes anyone interested in Korea, and the Korean American Adoptee/Adoptive Family Network (KAAN), a national networking organization linking groups and individuals concerned with adoption from Korea. Winston and her husband had … Continue reading →

Month in Review: Adoption Blog, December 2007

I began the month with a book review that tied in to my November series on coping with discrimination and racism. The Christmas Menorahs: How a Town Fought Hate is based on an inspiring true story of how a town in Montana came together when Jewish and African-American families were terrorized. Then I ran Part One and Part Two Part Two of Is It Okay to Be Choosy? regarding the comments adopting parents often get that if they “really wanted to help”, they’d choose the most needy child or the one with the most special needs–and sometimes we lay this … Continue reading →

Resources for Responding to Racism

As a thirty-something raised in the Pacific Northwest, I have always known about racism, but seldom witnessed it. I lived a very sheltered childhood, and thirty-some years later still feel a bit of shock whenever I hear of a racist incident: “That happened here? Nowadays? Really?” My daughter’s Camp Fire group had a member who was adopted from Ethiopia. The mother and I began comparing adoption experiences. I was shocked when she told me her daughter had been experiencing blatant racism at school. Fellow second graders had been taunting her on the playground, “You don’t belong here. Go back where … Continue reading →

Weaving God’s Love Across Cultures: Transracial Adoption and Faith (Book Review)

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When the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America committed to exploring strategies for ministry to different ethnic groups, a group of adoptive parents and adoptees saw an opportunity to educate faith communities about adoption and provide resources to help families connect their adoption experiences with spiritual issues. Interested Christians of several denominations and ethnicities gathered in Seattle in the fall of 2002 to share ideas. The result was the book Weaving God’s Love Across Cultures: Transracial Adoption and Faith, edited by Rev. Mary Lindberg, containing contributions by adoptive parents, teen and adult adoptees, clergy, social workers and even a Korean birthmother. … Continue reading →

America and Racism

The other day, I woke up at 5 am to get my husband ready for work. There isn’t much on that early in the morning – mostly paid television programming. But I did manage to find the movie Glory on one channel. If you haven’t seen it, you really should. It is a magnificent movie that invokes many emotions, but don’t expect to walk away from it with the warm fuzzies. It is about the first black Union regiment that fought in the Civil War. Sometimes it is hard to see how this regiment was treated, but to see their … Continue reading →