Look At This Fucking Hampster!

roughshapes:

finals cave fire came into our lives as soon as it left

theearsofgravestones:

 

Hampshire College’s President Jonathan Lash flew the campus flag upside-down and at half-mast  as “a two-fold statement: it is a reclamation of mourning, and it is an act of resistance against the symbolic violence of the American flag.”  

He writes, in an email sent to all students and faculty, “The flag and the state which it represents inhibits its citizens from developing cross-national and cross-cultural solidarity by deeming some people worthy of mourning while deeming others terrorists or criminals.”

In his letter to the Hampshire community, he addresses issues of race, nationalism and state-violence.  His act is in part a response to the Boston Bombings, which, he writes, were “an impetus for us all to consider the powerful symbolism of the flag.”  President Jonathan Lash  encourages the Hampshire community to “to turn a critical eye to the presence of the American flag” which he suggests “is mobilized by state forces in such times of mourning in order to justify further violence”.  

“We at Hampshire now ask: why does the state decide when we mourn?”

President Lash continued:

“In times of tragedy, the American public is urged to combat terrorism with
patriotism. The flag is upheld as a seemingly benign rallying point of
unity and pride, but it is also used to cultivate American exceptionalism
and perpetuate racist oppression. The state strategically brings certain
acts of violence into the public consciousness and excludes others to
create a culture wherein continued state violence is condoned.” 

This follows a recent campus-wide forum entitled, “The Flag on Our Front Lawn,” in which students engaged in an open dialogue about the flag’s prominent placing. This also marks a turn in Hampshire history, as it breaks a decades-long streak of administrative complacence with neoliberalism.

For the full letter to the community, click here.  

(Source: auto-focus-moment)

navigatethestream:

(Note: this is the conference i have been working to plan as part of my job at school. i would really appreciate y’all getting the word out. we want this year to be packed and amazing!)

ASK 2013: Saturday, March 30, 2013
“Why Can’t I: Exploring Cultural Appropriation”

REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Register by MARCH 15, 2013
Hampshire College (Free)
Five College ($10 online or $20 on-site)
All Five College students, staff, and faculty are welcome.

This year’s ASK conference focuses on cultural appropriation on Hampshire’s campus in the context of our larger society. This theme was born out the frustrations many students of color have when it comes to seeing aspects of their cultural, racial, or religious identities reduced to a costume, a fashion statement, or stripped of their original meaning and symbolic significance. When not consistently addressed, cultural appropriation can feed into the many microaggressions students of color experience while navigating Hampshire as a predominantly white academic and social space. In order to begin a much-needed conversation, the ASK conference committee and Cultural Center staff want to provide a safe space where students, faculty, and interested people can come together and begin to work out grassroots solutions and strategies in a safe environment. The goal of the ASK conference is not to provide finite answers, but allow the identities often marginalized by cultural appropriation a platform to discuss and engage with many intersecting issues related to both cultural appropriation and their identities.

Guiding ideas: Why can’t I wear a Native American headdress if I’m not Native American? Why can’t I wear a bindi if I’m not Desi/Indian? Why is blackface offensive to African diasporic people? Why can’t I say the N-word if I’m not black? Why are these things (and much more) considered cultural appropriation? How is cultural appropriation a form of racism? What is the link between cultural appropriation, cultural genocide, and cultural theft? How can I work to dismantle cultural appropriation as a non-person of color? How can I work to dismantle cultural appropriation between people of color as a person of color? How can I learn the difference between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation?

Schedule
9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m.: 90-minute interactive workshops with breaks and lunch included.
10 p.m.-1 a.m.: Dance party for conference attendees.

Go to our website for updates on the conference schedule 

thetenderestheart:

Signal boost! We have ten more days to raise $5,500 for the Five College Queer Gender and Sexuality Conference! This can’t happen without yr help. We love you a lot <3

Do this! There are all sorts of fun and exciting perks if you donate!

(Source: nelsito)