Why White People Talk Shit about “Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls”

“Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls,” parts 1 and 2, by actress and comedian Franchesca Ramsey are recently released YouTube parodies of the “Shit Girls Say” series that have gone viral. Predictably, the videos are causing an uproar amongst white people attacking what they see as Ramsey’s “racism”, when in fact what she is doing is illustrating, in no uncertain terms, some of the many ways racism continues to be inflicted on people of color.

Sisters of Resistance read an excellent article over at New Black Woman critiquing these kinds of responses, some of which we would like to share with you here. In it, she explains why white people have reacted so vehemently to what Ramsey has brought to the surface with her videos, which are the”microaggressive” forms of racism experienced by people of color on a daily basis. She also reminds those who took offense of the historical and structural context that makes it impossible for Black people and other people of color to commit racism against white people. We encourage you to read the whole article for its insightful analysis.

And for further info on the topic, check out this article by Jamilah King, over at one of our favorite anti-racist news sources, Colorlines.com, and hear what Franchesca Ramsey herself had to say about the reactions.

The End of Poverty? (2008 film)

For our final post of 2011, we would like to thank all of the readers who have made Sisters of Resistance a success in our first year by sharing with you this important film that we believe captures or touches upon many of the issues of injustice currently facing the world at large.

Lowkey’s “Soundtrack to the Struggle” Success in Notts

Stalls at "Soundtrack to the Struggle" Notts -- Photo Credit: Tash (Alan Lodge)

Originally posted on Nottingham Indymedia.

On Thursday November 10th 2011, over 250 people attended the Nottingham launch of revolutionary rapper Lowkey’s “Soundtrack to the Struggle” album.

The hiphop artist and activist who has traveled to Palestine and whose #1-selling album raises awareness about the arms trade, Islamophobia, the so-called “War on Terror”, international U.S military bases and the hypocrisy of Western leaders including Obama, enjoyed a warm welcome from the Nottingham crowd which included students from both universities and colleges as well as local residents. Fans sang along to lyrics rejecting war and Western consumerism, promoting instead justice, equality and peace. Prior to the headline act, an open mic took place, and local artists such as El Dia (who’s performing at the Sumac‘s Insurrection Hiphop night this Friday) and MC Drago warmed up the crowd with their politically conscious lyrics and cheers of “Free Free Palestine!” Logic, Awate, and Crazy Haze, who accompany Lowkey on tour, were also met with enthusiastic appreciation of their inspiring lyrics. Poet and journalist Jody McIntyre then shared his critical, witty, political poetry to a receptive audience.

The stage was adorned with a large Palestinian flag and graffiti pieces created by 16-year old Lowkey fan Usamah Qaiser and the venue also hosted a diverse range of stalls from local activist organisations and campaign groups. Palestinian Solidarity Campaign was joined by Notts Uni Palestinian Society, Nottingham Students Against Fees and Cuts, Nottingham Refugee Forum, local artists and Veggies from the Sumac who provided tasty samosas and vegan cake along with relevant newspapers and pamphlets such as Peace News. Radical feminist collective Sisters of Resistance politicised the women’s toilets with details of their anti-imperialist, pro-vegan hip-hop blog.

The diverse crowd engaged with the stalls, took flyers and purchased Palestinian scarfs (kuffiyehs) raising money for Palestine and becoming aware of the need for organised resistance. Members of the audience were encouraged to become actively involved in building alternatives to the exploitative, unsustainable system that the featured artists powerfully denounced. With Lowkey’s soundtrack as the inspiration, the successful event saw revolutionary activists and hiphop fans, students and locals alike united in their determination to continue the struggle.

Lowkey rockin the crowd -- Photo Credit - Tash (Alan Lodge)

Sex and Spittin: OG Niki

A Message for Fans and Haters

A small group of Sisters of Resistance recently spent an evening talking about OG Niki, real name Nikesha, and listening to her  interviews, ‘spit your game’ and her tunes. Here we reflect on this discussion and offer our support to her and other young women who’ve had similar experiences. We also look at some of the underlying issues raised by her lyrics and peoples responses to them.

Unintentional Racism: An Apology

We have recently written two articles which have proven controversial. One highlighted the lies, behaviour and psychology of men who cheat and the other listed men to avoid. Both were based on real, personal, recent or on-going experiences.

When we were confronted with accusations of racism by people commenting on the blog and brothers we know, we immediately defended ourselves. We are both children of immigrants who have lived and worked in black, Asian and global majority communities all our lives; we have both seen and experienced racism and are disgusted by it; we are both dedicated to eradicating racism through our activism in our daily lives and with this blog. We have both read extensively on the subjects of anti-racism, civil rights, black liberation and post-colonialism.  We both have many more black, Asian, Latino and global majority friends and acquaintances than those from European/caucasian backgrounds, and the white friends we do have are likely to be committed anti-racists as well.

However, we are always advocating self-reflection, self-critique and self-improvement and thus realised it is not enough to simply defend ourselves. We advocate listening to others when they point out discrimination or injustice, and we argue for the importance of taking steps to correct oppressive behaviours. With this in mind, we must examine the criticisms being levelled at us and respond.