isis storm – RI Future

March 12, 2012March 13, 2012

Reza Rites and RI Future at SXSW in Austin, TX

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Heard of South by Southwest, but can’t be in Austin yourself? Pop in daily to “Take 5 with Reza Rites” on RIFuture.org for photos and live updates about her adventures at the annual festival – or follow her on Twitter and Facebook @rezaclif. Besides blogging for RI Future, Reza will be recording interviews and footage for an election-year multimedia project being released in June, “Rhode 2 Africa: Elect the Arts 2012.”

PROVIDENCE, RI & AUSTIN, TX – For those who don’t follow me or RI Future on Twitter (and I recommend that you do), you may have missed some pretty cool news: RI Future is going down to South by Southwest in Austin, TX – represented by me, Reza Rites!

Now, for those not quite sure about what SXSW is…

It’s only one of the biggest annual cultural festivals for techies, filmmakers, and musicians! And Reza Rites / RI Future won’t be the only New England folks there. So far I’ve received tips and tweets from peeps and tweeps about artists from Worcester, Providence, and Narragansett (Shane Hall, Soldiers of Life, Joe Fletcher and the Wrong Reasons, Boo City, and 5th Elament to name my current list) – and those are only local / regional folks!

I leave later this afternoon, but to get mentally prepared, I spent the last two weeks talking to representatives from Boo City and ERB about what to expect. To summarize their answers – it’ll be a big party.

So yes, I’ll be taking some of my music and dancing shoes out there because the DJ and music consumer in me can’t be silenced. But if you know me or have been following my posts here on RIFuture.org, then you know that I view music as more than just gateway to fun. And my participation in SXSW could be no better demonstration than this.

Not only will I be in Austin blogging for RI Future and capturing the “cool,” I’ll also be down there talking about politics and election year 2012. That is because this trip represents the final phase of filming for a a multimedia project I began in October called “Rhode 2 Africa: Elect the Arts 2012” (R2A 2012).

Below is an excerpt about the film/series; for additional information, visit www.Rhode2Africa.wordpress.com or click here to access the information page. To make a donation toward the project to help me with producer and artist travel costs, equipment purchases, or staff supports, click here.

***

Riders Against the Storm (RAS) is a husband-wife hip hop duo who relocated from Providence to Austin, bringing their political and social justice message right with them. They are participating in SXSW and they will be featured in Rhode 2 Africa: Elect The Arts 2012. Prior to moving, RAS participated in R2A Year One.

ABOUT RHODE 2 AFRICA: ELECT THE ARTS 2012

There is room at every election to hear and examine new voices and ideas. This year is no different. As a matter of fact, as protesters part of Occupy Wall Street, and break-off movements like Women Occupy and Occupy The Hood have demonstrated, citizens across this country have grown tired of never hearing from the variety of voices making up the “99%.” Still, if you pay attention to major news outlets, you would think that the only people who care about the November elections are the all-white Republican candidates and their party followers.

One place in which you can hear alternative voices and views on politics is within the music community. Besides being heads of households, tax-payers, insurance-holders, and voters, there are many performers who play at political events, directly and indirectly endorsing candidates; hip hop artists who “rap” about reform and rebellion; and emerging and established artists who’ve performed at The Whitehouse.

Rhode 2 Africa: Elect the Arts 2012 is about sharing the voices of Black musicians engaged in this type of work. Standing in contrast to the limited news coverage we see daily, R2A will provide election 2012 coverage and awareness through conversations on race, politics and music. Our goal is to make sure that diverse constituencies are motivated to vote in November and engaged in political conversations at the local, national, and global level.

***

CONTACT INFO

Reza Corinne Clifton:
“Reza Rites / Venus Sings / DJ Reza Wreckage”
rezaclif@gmail.com / 401-217-9680 / singsvenus@gmail.com

www.Rhode2Africa.wordpress.com / www.VenusSings.com /
www.RIFuture.org / www.IsisStorm.com /

Facebook & Twitter @rezaclif

NEXT STEPS

Learn more about R2A 2012 by clicking here and getting more information about the project, which is in-production and scheduled to be broadcast-ready and screening-ready in June, 2012.

Learn more about R2A Year One by clicking here to watch and listen to R2A Year One episodes.

Help fund the project by clicking here to make a donation toward the project to help with producer and artist travel costs, equipment purchases, and staff supports.

Tell a friend or potential sponsor/donor.

March 7, 2012March 7, 2012

Racial Profiling, Vehicle Checkpoints Bills Heard Today

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Last week here on RI Future, I shared a short podcast about Racial Profiling in RI from the perspective of youth and community organizers working with Providence Youth Student Movement. Here is an extended series of excerpts from my conversation on Sonic Watermelons with Sangress Xiong and Yonara Alvarado, and Franny Choi.

Xiong, Alvarado, and Choi are among community members, law enforcement officials and members of the legislature who will gather today at the State House for a meeting of the House Committee on Judiciary; the Comprehensive Racial Profiling Prevention Act of 2012 (H-7256) is one of the bills to be discussed.

All of tonight’s agenda items deal with “Motor and Other Vehicles,” and most are about motorists driving under the influence. A couple other bills that might be of interest to RI Future readers include H-7222, which “would authorize a bail commissioner to order that a person’s license be suspended immediately upon the report of a law enforcement officer that the person has refused a chemical test for driving while under the influence of alcohol” and H-7203 which, if passed, would “bar checkpoints as a means to detect motorists under the influence.”

For more information about today’s hearing, click here. To read more about my interview with Xiong, Alvarado, and Choi, click here.

***

Hear Sonic Watermelons live every Wednesday
6-8 PM (EST) on www.bsrlive.com.

March 2, 2012March 2, 2012

Advocating to End Racial Profiling in RI

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PROVIDENCE, RI – On Wednesday, March 7 at 4:30 PM, community members and advocates are expected to show up en masse to share their views on racial profiling in RI at a hearing at the State House before the House Committee on Judiciary. But folks have been speaking out on the topic for years, including youth and adult advocates from Providence Youth Student Movement (PrYSM), an organization founded to support Southeast Asian Youth in Providence.

Hear more about their work here in this podcast of excerpts from my February 15 interview with PrYSM youth leaders, ?Sangress Xiong and Yonara Alvarado, and PrYSM staffer Franny Choi. It aired lived on my weekly program, Sonic Watermelons on Brown Student and Community Radio.

During the interview, Xiong, Alvarado and Choi talk about recent campaign actions, like the February press conference introducing House Bill 7256, the making of the local documentary called Fitting the Description, and other recent activities that they have participated in with PrYSM and the Coalition Against Racial Profiling. Alvarado (who is Latina) says she became passionate about the topic after being in the car and witnessing racial profiling when her uncle was stopped by an officer, and subsequently feeling less faith in whether officers are best serving the community; Xiong, who is Hmong (Southeast Asian), helps explain how a practice once known as “Driving while Black” has expanded to include not only the Latino/Hispanic community, but the Southeast Asian community in Providence as well – including friends and neighbors of his.

I also spoke with the three guests about the benefits and limitations of using digital media tools to collect stories from people who’ve been subjected to racial profiling, and for doing outreach about legislative efforts like the Comprehensive Racial Profiling Prevention Act that will be reviewed and discussed at next Wednesday’s House Judiciary hearing. The ten-page bill deals primarily with conduct during motor vehicle stops and searches, and among the provisions are:

Requirements for officers to document (in writing) the “reasonable suspicion” or “probable cause” grounds for conducting a search of any motor vehicle,
A determination that identification requested during traffic stops be limited to driver’s license, motor vehicle registration, and/or proof of insurance, and (unless there is probable cause of criminal activity) only asked of drivers
A mandate to create standard policies and protocols for police vehicles using recording equipment, such as documenting every stop that is made and prohibiting the tampering or disengagement of equipment.

In addition to collecting the probable cause information, the bill would require officers to collect data on race during stops – and departments to maintain and report this data at intervals over a 4 year period. Choi says collecting data is key to ending racially divisive practices, and – along with the ACLU in their work on the topic – points to a local, southern RI city for proof of its inclusion in the bill as being “effective legislation.”

In Narragansett, says Choi in the excerpts, the department began collecting information without the legislation, and found a drop in “racial disparities in stops” after instituting the policy. The ACLU also found recent actions and improvements in Johnston. At the end of the day, says Choi, “when you’re pulling someone over, have a reason to pull them over.”

***

To connect with PrYSM about their work on Racial Profiling, visit www.prysm.us or email franny@prysm.us. For more information about the Coalition Against Racial Profiling or next Wednesday’s hearing, contact Nick Figueroa of the Univocal Legislative Minority Advisory Coalition (ULMAC) by email at policy@ulmac.org. Anyone can attend the hearing and sign up to testify, but Figueroa highly encourages anyone who would be testifying for the first time to contact him in advance for information and tips on the process of giving testimonies and what to expect in the hearing. For example, four other bills are scheduled to be discussed on the same night and in the same hearing (meeting), so 4:30 may be the start-time for the hearing, but not necessarily when the Racial Profiling Bill is addressed.

Additional clips from the interview will be made available on VenusSings.com and IsisStorm.com, where you can also follow show updates about Sonic Watermelons, which airs live every Wednesday, from 6-8 PM (EST) at www.bsrlive.com.

February 21, 2012February 22, 2012

Payday Reform and Policy Change: A Recent Conversation on Sonic Watermelons on BSR

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PROVIDENCE, RI – Are Rhode Islanders paying fees for loans that are higher than what residents in other states are paying? The answer in some cases is yes – 260% versus 36%. Learn more about the type of loans that charge these rates, the impact of these loans on RI families, and what you can do to stop the practice in this excerpt from my interview with Margaux Morriseau and Nick Figueroa of the RI Coalition for Payday Reform.

It’s from the February 8, 2012 edition of Sonic Watermelons on BSR (Brown Student and Community Radio) – a show I produce as part of my work on VenusSings.com and with Isis Storm, a collective of artists, writers, and educators who empower women and underserved communities through performances, workshops, and media projects.

For more information on the topic, click here to listen to the full interview or click on the handouts provided below by the RI Coalition for Payday Reform.

FYI: Hear Sonic Watermelons live every Wednesday, from 6:00-8:00 PM…

Presented by Venus Sings and Isis Storm
Because the World is a Big Place
With Big Ideas and Lots and Lots of Music

Live or archived: bsrlive.com
Studio phonelines: 401-863-9277
Contact: IsisStorm.com, VenusSings.com

February 3, 2012February 3, 2012

Philadelphia-based Feminist Media Activist Group Led By Providence Native, Nuala Cabral, Launches Campaign Supporting Ethnic Studies in Arizona

Click here to check out my recent interview with Nuala Cabral and Denice Frohman of FAAN Mail, a Philadelphia-based media activist group that has launched a social media campaign (on Twitter, primarily, #WishiLearnedinHS), “Wished I Learned in High School,” in response to policies in Arizona restricting ethnic studies programs. Cabral is graduate of Moses Brown School in Providence, RI.

(PROVIDENCE, RI; PHILADELPHIA, PA; TUCSON, AZ) – When does learning about non-Europeans/non-Whites in the US constitute promoting resentment toward a race or class?

When does learning about the development of the US and manifest destiny and those who opposed such policies cross the line to become promoting the overthrow of the US government?

When did a class providing awareness about the societal and civic contributions of one of this country’s minority/ethnic groups become illegal?

These are some of the questions being asked by activists, students, and journalists all over the country, though the answer to number three might be more clear: it’s been over a year since the governor of Arizona signed into law House Bill 2281, “which prohibits a school district or charter school (in Arizona) from including in its program of instruction any courses or classes that promote the overthrow of the United States government, promote resentment toward a race or class of people, are designed primarily for pupils of a particular ethnic group, or advocate ethnic solidarity instead of the treatment of pupils as individuals.”

Yet it is recent events that have re-stirred up the questions, concerns, and heated debates on the topic: the final termination of the Mexican American Studies program in Tucson, Arizona – and the removal of corresponding books from Tucson schools that are now part of a list of banned literature.

Critics of the legislation say that the policies curtail teacher creativity, and call the law an attempt to further silence and marginalize people of color in a state becoming infamous for what many view as one anti-immigrant or anti-Brown policy after another. Supporters of the state law – and the recent move by Tucson officials – cite the Mexican American Studies program as an example of a program that promotes one racial/ethnic group over all others, and say that programs like these promote a victimization mentality.

But critics aren’t buying it, and they’re not standing by quietly. Two such activists are Nuala Cabral and Denice Frohman of FAAN Mail (Fostering Activism and Alternatives Now!), www.faanmail.wordpress.com. FAAN Mail is a media literacy/media activism project formed by women of color to promote pro-active audiences and creative alternatives.

Cabral and Frohman are based in Philadelphia, MA, but they’re not letting geography stop their actions. On the contrary, Cabral, Frohman and the FAAN Mail community have launched a social media campaign (on Twitter, primarily, #WishiLearnedinHS), “Wished I Learned in High School,” to collect and share stories from people who can speak to the benefits they’ve gained from Ethnic Studies programs and to the regrets they feel about not getting enough exposure to the stories of people of color, women, LGBT writers, and other voices in their K-12 years.

Cabral and Frohoman say they are outraged that racist/conservative ideology has prevailed over data on programs that have been proven to be effective for students of color (who are at more risk for dropping out), and bothered that what hasn’t been acknowledged is the idea that there are already preferential treatments built into the educational system – those that favor the stories, ideas, history and perspectives of wealthy, western, white men.

Click here to check out my audio podcast/interview with Cabral and Frohman, which was recorded and originally aired on Sonic Watermelons on bsrlive.com on Wednesday, February 1. Click here to see a short video about some of the on-the-ground student and community organizing.

Or check out the links below to learn more about the FAAN Mail campaign and the Arizona saga.

http://faanmail.wordpress.com/wishilearnedinhs-effort/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethnic_studies
http://www.thenation.com/blog/165989/challenging-arizonas-ban-ethnic-studies
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/david-moshman/did-arizona-ban-ethnic-st_b_816713.html
http://motherjones.com/mojo/2010/05/ethnic-studies-banned-arizona
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arizona_SB_1070

January 16, 2012January 17, 2012

PODCAST: Brian Hull and Reza Rites Discuss the New RIFuture, January 11, 2012 Archive

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by Reza Rites / Venus Sings

Click here to listen to a podcast of Brian Hull talking to me, Reza Clifton, (Reza Rites / Venus Sings) on Sonic Watermelons, a show I produce weekly on Brown Student and Community Radio (www.bsrlive.com).

(PROVIDENCE, RI) RIFuture.org, which was once RI’s number 1 political blog, has relaunched and re-entered the state’s blogosphere (with new voices including mine). Learn more here in a podcast of my interview with the blog’s Senior Editor, Brian Hull, from my January 11, 2012 episode of Sonic Watermelons on BSR, a show presented by Venus Sings and Isis Storm “because the world is a big place, with with big ideas and lots and lots of music.” Sonic Watermelons airs every Wednesday from 6:00-8:00 PM on Brown Student and Community Radio. Hear it live or archived at www.bsrlive.com, and follow updates at www.VenusSings.com and www.IsisStorm.com.

Click here to listen to my Interview with Brian Hull
Sonic watermelons 1.11.12 bhull interview by Rezaclif

The mission of Rhode Island’s Future is to foster healthy debate and discussion on various important issues facing the Ocean State. These issues include, but are not limited to, the economy, unemployment, job creation, budget and taxation issues, education, labor issues, health care, the environment, election campaigns, housing, criminal justice, reproductive rights, and LGBT issues. The blog is meant to facilitate the free exchange of ideas in a civil and respectful manner. Questions, suggestions, news stories, or tips for RI Future can be sent to progress@rifuture.org.