Munyurangabo

Mosaic presents Munyurangabo, the story of an orphan of the Rwandan genocide who travels form Kigali to the countryside on a quest for justice. THis film is part of the Mosaic fil series, an effort to promote diversity on the Huntington University campus.






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Black Gold

February 16 @ 7:00 PM, HUB


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Black.White

Jan 4th, 5th, 11th, 12th, 14th, 19th
(7:00pm) HUB

*We will be watching one 45 minute episode each time feel free to come to one or all of the showings. Read more...

Mosaic hosts 'The Visitor'

Hopefully, we'll see you all tonight at 9 p.m. in Rm 150 of the MCA. There will be popcorn!


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Mixed-Race TV Contestant Ignites Debate In China

 
Here is an interesting article on the racial climate in China involving a 20-year-old reality tv contestant...

President Obama's arrival in China on Sunday is being eagerly awaited by many people, especially one young woman in Shanghai. Lou Jing is of mixed race, with a Chinese mother and an African-American father. She became famous nationally after her participation in an American Idol-type program sparked a spate of vitriolic online racist abuse.

For Lou, the reality television show turned out to be a lesson in brutal reality. The talent contest is called Go! Oriental Angel, and the 20-year-old made it through preliminary rounds to become one of 30 contestants.

Lou is studying for a degree in television anchoring at Shanghai's prestigious Theater Academy, and her teachers thought it would be a good opportunity. But from the very first, the focus was on her skin color.

Spotlight Cast Ugly Shadows

Introducing Lou, the host said, "her chocolate-colored skin lights up her sunny character."

In a short yellow satin frock, Lou launched into a rap she had written to introduce herself to the audience. In retrospect, this moment probably marks the end of Lou's innocence — and the start of a process of questioning her own identity.

"When I was young, I didn't really know I was different from other people," she says. "It was only after entering the competition that I realized I was different from others."

The show drew attention to her background, which is very unusual for China. She was raised in a single-parent family by her Shanghainese mother, who is a teacher. Her African-American father, whom she has never met, returned to the United States without even knowing he had conceived a child in China.

On air, her mother, Sun Min, said she had only ever had one conversation with Lou about her father. She described how her then-7-year-old daughter had asked about him.

"I didn't answer and immediately started crying," Sun recalled. "From then on, Lou Jing never asked again."

Painful Fallout

In her two months on air, Lou was nicknamed the "Chocolate Angel" and the "Black Pearl" by the media. She wasn't bothered by these names, she says.

But online, the poison pens were venomous. Chinese posting messages on the Web criticized her skin color as "gross" and "ugly"; they called her shameless for appearing on television. The worst insults were reserved for her mother for having had a relationship with an African-American out of wedlock. Lou and her mother are now suing one Shanghai newspaper for libel.

There were online statements of support as well, but the verbal attacks stunned Lou.

"I looked at the posts and I cried. Then I didn't look at them anymore. I decided I would do my best to go abroad to study," she says.

The Obama Parallels

Lou sees Obama as a motivational figure and hopes his visit to China will be televised live. The parallels haven't gone unnoticed: One well-known blogger and magazine publisher, Hong Huang, remarked that even as the U.S. was welcoming Obama to the White House, Chinese people were unable to accept a girl whose skin color was different.

China's economic progress has been astounding, but Lou Jing's cautionary tale exposes the fact that social attitudes still lag far behind.

For now, Lou is still on TV, guest-hosting a variety show showcasing different regional dialects. It's a job she had lined up before her appearance on Oriental Angel, she says. Since then, she hasn't had a single work offer — no advertising contracts or modeling jobs, either.

Her dream is of escape. She wants to study journalism at Columbia University. She believes the lack of knowledge about racism in China is such that many people didn't even realize their comments were discriminatory or hurtful. But for her, the world suddenly seems a different place.

"Before, on the street, people might say things like, 'How come she looks like that?' But that was just a small number of people. When I was younger, I thought life was beautiful. Why is it that now I've grown up, I don't think that anymore?" she says.

China still likes to think of itself as monocultural, but as it opens up — and more Chinese marry foreigners — the issue of what it means to be Chinese is emerging. Lou was born and bred in China, and never lived anywhere else, yet this latest saga has made her wonder whether she can ever really belong in China.

"I've always thought of myself as Shanghainese," Lou says. "But after the competition, I started to have doubts about who I really am."

For the show's producers, putting Lou under the spotlight may have been a clever ploy to boost ratings. But the fallout has been painful: Her mother has stopped working, and when asked if she regrets appearing on the show, Lou replies: "If you beat me to death, I wouldn't take part in that competition again."

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Panel on Homosexuality

Tuesday, Nov. 10 at 10 p.m. in Longacker Rectial Hall - email hu.mosaic@gmail.com for questions.
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Injustice in Louisiana

Here is an interesting article on a Louisiana official who refused to marry an interracial couple:

news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091016/ap_on_re_us/us_interracial_rebuff




EW ORLEANS – Louisiana's governor and a U.S. senator joined Friday in calling for the ouster of a local official who refused to marry an interracial couple, saying his actions clearly broke the law.

Keith Bardwell, a white justice of the peace in Tangipahoa Parish in the southeastern part of the state, refused to issue a marriage license earlier this month to Beth Humphrey, who is white, and Terence McKay, who is black. His refusal has prompted calls for an investigation or resignation from civil and constitutional rights groups and the state's Legislative Black Caucus.

Republican Gov. Bobby Jindal said in a statement a nine-member commission that reviews lawyers and judges in the state should investigate.

"Disciplinary action should be taken immediately — including the revoking of his license," Jindal said.

Bardwell did not return calls left on his answering machine Friday.

Bardwell has said he always asks if a couple is interracial and, if they are, refers them to another justice of the peace. Bardwell said no one had complained in the past and he doesn't marry the couples because he's worried about their children's futures.

"Perhaps he's worried the kids will grow up and be president," said Bill Quigley, director of the Center for Constitutional Rights and Justice, referring to President Barack Obama, the son of a black father from Kenya and a white mother from Kansas.
Obama's deputy press secretary Bill Burton echoed those sentiments.

"I've found that actually the children of biracial couples can do pretty good," Burton told reporters aboard Air Force One as it flew to Texas.

Humphrey and McKay were eventually married by another justice of the peace, but are now looking into legal action against Bardwell.

Humphrey said she called Bardwell on Oct. 6 to ask about a marriage license. She said Bardwell's wife told her that Bardwell would not sign marriage licenses for interracial couples.

Bardwell maintains he can recuse himself from marrying people. Quigley disagreed.

"A justice of the peace is legally obligated to serve the public, all of the public," Quigley said. "Racial discrimination has been a violation of Louisiana and U.S. law for decades. No public official has the right to pick and choose which laws they are going to follow."

A spokeswoman for the Louisiana Judiciary Commission said investigations were confidential and would not comment. If the commission recommends action to the Louisiana Supreme Court, the matter would become public.

U.S. Sen. Mary Landrieu, D-La., said in a statement Bardwell's practices and comments were deeply disturbing.

"Not only does his decision directly contradict Supreme Court rulings, it is an example of the ugly bigotry that divided our country for too long," she said.

Tangipahoa Parish President Gordon Burgess said Bardwell's views were not consistent with his or those of the local government. But as an elected official, Bardwell was not under the supervision of the parish government.

"However, I am certainly very disappointed that anyone representing the people of Tangipahoa Parish, particularly an elected official, would take such a divisive stand," Burgess said in an e-mail. "I would hope that Mr. Bardwell would consider offering his resignation if he is unable to serve all of the people of his district and our parish."

Bardwell, a Republican, has served as justice of peace for 34 years. He said he has run without opposition each time, but had decided earlier not to run again. His current term expires Dec. 31, 2014.

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Associated Press writer Eileen Sullivan in College Station, Texas, contributed to this report.
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