Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Arizona : Resources for opposing SB 1070

As you know, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona (the same state that a few years ago denied a holiday for Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.) just passed SB 1070 -- which permits law enforcement to question people about their citizenship, based on "reasonable suspicion".

As Presente.com explains: "(the law) will authorize officers to pull over, question, and detain anyone they have a “reasonable suspicion” to believe is in this country without proper documentation. It’s legalized racial profiling, and it’s an affront on all of our civil rights, especially Latinos. It’s completely unacceptable."

We've compiled this list of resources that you can use to oppose this legislation.

Sign the Shame on Arizona Campaign statement:
Presente has drafted a response that you can sign and send to the governor here

Boycott:
Joel Tena put together this fb note including this information:

"In the wake of the recent adoption into law of SB1070 by the State of Arizona today (04.23.2010), one of the most draconian anti-immigration laws ever in the United States, many people have called for a boycott of the State of Arizona, including southwest Arizona Congressman Raúl Grijalva. Personally, I haven't been to Arizona in five years and do not plan on going there any time soon. I created this list to give folks/average consumers outside of Arizona a chance to show their disgust with the passage of this racist legislation by boycotting the following, Arizona-based companies.

Apollo Group (University of Phoenix). Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona
Cold Stone Creamery. Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona
Discount Tire Company. Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona
Go Daddy. Headquarters: Scottsdale, Arizona
Mesa Air Group (Mesa Airlines, Go!, Freedom Airlines). Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona
P. F. Chang's China Bistro. Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona
PetSmart. Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona
U-Haul. Headquarters: Phoenix, Arizona
US Airways. Headquarters: Tempe, Arizona

Read more about this bill:



Attend the Smashing Racism Community Dialogue THIS Thursday @ 7pm:
This will be an opportunity for community members to talk about racism as it occurs in our community and on a national level. How does racism impact us and our communities and what can we do to embody active anti-racism more fully in our selves and in our communities? This conversation will be facilitated by tk and Lani Blechman. Hope you can make it. For more info: 413-253-5432.
Peace.
tk/mk

and now for a short message from Public Enemy:

Tuesday, April 6, 2010

R.I.P. Julie Graham


We are very sorry to note the passing of a dear friend & comrade of many of us here at Food For Thought Books - Julie Graham.

Farewell, Julie. You shall be missed.

Please check out this online memorial for Julie (don't miss the comments section).

Saturday, April 3, 2010

Sherman Alexie Wins PEN/Faulkner Award

This week, the PEN/Faulkner Foundation named Sherman Alexie's War Dances the winner of the 2010 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction. War Dances triumphed over close to 350 novels and short story collections by American authors published in the U.S. during the 2009 calendar year. Submissions came from over 90 publishing houses, including small and academic presses.

Among Alexie's previous honors are a 2007 National Book Award for Young People's Literature, for The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian (a staff favorite here at FFT), and the Native Writers' Circle of the Americas 2010 Lifetime Achievement Award.

Alexie and the prize finalists -- Barbara Kingsolver for The Lacuna; Lorraine M. López for Homicide Survivors Picnic, and Other Stories; and Lorrie Moore for A Gate at the Stairs -- will be honored during the 30th anniversary PEN/Faulkner Award Ceremony at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, May 8.

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