The descriptions that follow may be triggering, but please read and watch. People have asked me, “What can I do?” and it will be in the context of this violence—including sexualized violence–that this call to action is situated.
***
Last November 23, fifty-seven people were massacred in the Southern Philippine province of Maguindanao. They were on their [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Body politics and representations, Philippines, colonialism/postcolonialism, human rights, social justice, tagged bayougin, Caster Semenya, colonialism, gender testing, Nancy Navalta, Philippines on August 23, 2009 | 11 Comments »
[This is an expanded version of a comment prompted by this insightful post from Prof. Sussuro.]
Caster Semenya won the women’s 800-meter race by 2.45 seconds over her nearest rival. I want to start with that fact, because that win is amazing. She is amazing. And this being lost in all these rumors and speculations about [...]
Read Full Post »
That sign, “This is not a trail,” drives my dog crazy. Because right behind the sign is. . .a trail.
Apparently, it’s a trail full of coyote scents and potato bugs and other curiosities that his mama won’t let him explore. There was a beautiful trail just waiting to be sniffed, he could see that. No [...]
Read Full Post »
(Late reflections for Mother’s Day)
Of all the made-up commercial holidays, Mother’s Day, for me, is the least irritating. After all, if I was going to be guilted into blowing money on cards, flowers, and the obligatory brunch, at least it was going to be for Mom. So to moms everywhere, y’all rock.
And this goes double [...]
Read Full Post »
I realized I hadn’t written about the US-backed Israeli attacks on Gaza. I was busy reading and learning, so the silence was unintentional. But Teo rightly points out how only a handful of Filipino bloggers have expressed solidarity with Gaza and Palestine. So this is me adding my voice.
In the mid-1980s, my dad made a [...]
Read Full Post »
These are, hands down, the best pair of shoes I have ever owned in my life.
They helped get me through my thesis defense.
They helped me project a confidence I did not feel, the first time I presented at a conference.
They’re old friends. Solid, comfortable, hardworking boots who will get you to where you’re going.
So when [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Philippines, feminist theory, globalization, human rights, social justice, women of color, tagged feminism, feminist theory, social justice, women of color on October 24, 2008 | 5 Comments »
What does it mean to recognize the home as a site of resistance?
Last semester, our professor posed this question to a group of law students at an ivy league university, and was surprised at how many students got so upset. But professor, they cried, women were oppressed in the home. That’s why we fought so [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Philippines, human rights, social justice, tagged Committee to Protect Journalists, corruption, journalists, Philippines, press, press freedom, transparency international on October 14, 2008 | Leave a Comment »
In findings that surprise no one who has ever lived or done business in the country, reports from Transparency International show the Philippines is perceived as one of the most corrupt countries in the world.
An indignant Pres. Gloria Macapagal Arroyo replied that these perceptions of corruption were not caused by, you know, actual corruption. Instead, [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Philippines, globalization, human rights, social justice, women of color, tagged fallujah, globalization, militarization, Philippines, US elections, war on terror, women of color on October 3, 2008 | 3 Comments »
“If McCain is elected, I’m headed back home,” stated a classmate this week during a discussion about the elections.
The assumption behind the plan, of course, is that moving away would insulate you from the effects of Bush-McCain’s policies. But if anything, the deleterious effects of this administration’s military policies are magnified for marginalized populations in [...]
Read Full Post »
Posted in Philippines, globalization, human rights, social justice, women, women of color, tagged anti-capitalism, globalization, indigenous peoples, peasant women, Philippines, Phils Jeon Garment factory on September 8, 2008 | 13 Comments »
I hear this said a lot even among people who describe themselves as liberal and progressive. Even among people who identify as feminists. That capitalism as an economic system may be flawed, but it’s certainly the best system that we have.
The best for whom?
It’s certainly not the best system for the workers at [...]
Read Full Post »
