Dimensionally Barrett

One hundred years ago today, the community of Greenwood, popularly known as Black Wall Street, was murderously razed to the ground. An economically successful Black area of Tulsa was, for all intents and purposes – because there was intent and purpose behind this massacre – erased. We know how it happened. We know why it happened; although, that it happened it all is a damning indictment of race relations in this country. Why it happened has roots that go back to the founding of this country, in the erroneous, false, and fraudulent belief that humans can own other humans. More specifically, that white people can own Black people. Grammatically, I suppose I should capitalize “white”, but the very concept of doing so would mean to equate the oppressor with the oppressed; and in this historical instance, the murderer with the murdered. That the Tulsa Massacre was paved over and shunted down American history’s memory hole should surprise no one. That the covering up was so successful fo...

  For this update, I want to telescope out and look at what is happening among our policy makers and legislators in the U.S. in response to the National Unity Government (NUG)’s search for recognition and establishment among international bodies. At the same time, there’s a question of who is doing what exactly to support the Burmese people and the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). These are not two unrelated elements. And last, I’m offering merchandise to support the International Campaign for the Rohingya. Recognize the NUG “[D]emocratic countries should expressly stand with the people of Myanmar in their struggle for democracy” - Scholars for Myanmar Open Letter The first issue that comes to mind is the NUG’s reluctance to include Rohingya representation as part of its structure. In an exchange earlier this month, Kyaw Moe Tun, Myanmar’s permanent representative to the United Nations did not commit to this inclusion before the US House of Representatives Committee on Fore...

  Source: https://www.worldometers.info/coronavirus/#countries This post is dedicated to the people of India, to my friends there who are dear to my heart, and their families for whom I pray all will be well. I’ve been struck dumb by the resurgence of COVID-19 in India. My friends and their families are at risk, to say nothing of the enormous amount of suffering that affects everyone in the sub-continent and potentially, if not immediately, India’s neighbors. The implications are vast. As the United Nations and the World Health Organization sound the alarm that aid needs to be sent to India to distribute and deploy vaccines more vigorously and thoroughly, it becomes strikingly obvious that the coronavirus does not recognize borders and has little use for political or religious festivals. Oh. Wait. No, it has a lot of use for those events. What happened? Whether it was Trump’s United States or Modi’s India , I find this question smacks of the disingenuous. Failures in both ...

  It’s been gutting, with news of the continued loss of lives across Myanmar and the shutdown of the internet, and ongoing financial support for the military by corporations. However, there are a number of things you (yes, you!) can do to help the Burmese out. First off, apparel leaders profit greatly from employing local labor – predominantly women – at their factories in Myanmar and they have remained largely silent and continued operations throughout the coup. Garment workers held a strike on March 8 despite retaliation and have called upon support from those corporate leaders for support to ensure that they aren’t fired from their jobs from their involvement with the Civil Disobedience Movement (CDM). But the silence is deafening. There is a campaign to call on someone who has far more clout than most of us and she has her own line for Addidas, one of the more prominent brands with manufacturing in Myanmar. That’s right, Beyoncé herself. This is not as farfetched as one migh...

  Despite the ongoing brutal coup carried out by the Burmese military, there have been some encouraging developments. To be sure, the coup is far from over and there has been a lack of meaningful support from bordering neighbors on the one hand, and outright violence on the part of the military in the country. It is difficult to fathom that there   are parties who are – if not encouraging the junta , turning a blind eye to the suffering it is inflicting. Additionally, China is looming on the horizon under the pretense of protecting its interests . In terms of positive developments, there are newer sanctions being imposed , attempts at stronger alliances with the indigenous populations , this last being promoted by the CRPH which is declaring the 2008 constitution void. This may be problematic but it represents a countervailing action to the military; after all, if the Tatmadaw is not going to recognize the results of a constitutionally supported election, then of what ...

Ming Min Naung, hero . See more about him at the end of this post. Bad news begins with today’s report of 91 [and counting, my edit] Burmese protesters murdered by the military.  As a reminder, it is the military that is the insurgent here, the generals and their followers who are the terrorists. My friend Myo Win Aung has been posting regular updates (mostly on Twitter, but some on Facebook). See screen shots following: I will link to actions at the end of this post, but I also want to address that these tragic circumstances have come about from unchecked power and dismissal of the rule of law by the Burmese military (Tatmadaw) who have received and are still receiving support from a variety of players across the region and yes, from U.S. corporations, as well. There has been some movement on sanctions on the Tatmadaw in Myanmar, but the situation remains grim. There’s more to be said, but the following links will provide a brief update of where the situation stands internationall...

A work from Ko Z that says it all While events darken in Myanmar, I remain hopeful that the people will win, order will be restored and justice served. What strikes me as different about what’s happening in Burma right now is that the world is watching with more eyes than ever, and that there is more of a concerted to increase pressure on corporations to cease  doing business with the military, various governments importing sanctions, and calls for the military to stand down. That said, military juntas are characterized by bull-headed stubbornness and rarely back down until they can vividly see the handwriting on the wall. There’s a larger discussion to be had about how coups by armed forces should be addressed; but right now, the people of Burma are doing it themselves and paying a huge price.  Another aspect of the responses I’ve seen to the coup is that it gives me hope that we might see similar attention paid elsewhere with the same degree of emphasis and hopefully, result...