by Managing Editor
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What do postfeminism and postracialism have to do with liberation and freedom? “Nothing, not a single thing,” says the new edition of On The Issues Magazine.
“The ‘post’ terms, thrown about vigorously by pundits, send out signals that the problems of our society related to gender and race have magically flown away in an unseen balloon,” write the editors.
In the Fall 2009 edition, “Race, Feminism, Our Future,” editors and writers take on race and feminism, two of the most provocative social, political and cultural topics of our times. The edition is a series of big-picture articles and visionary ideas.
In “Taking on Postracialism,” Rinku Sen tackles the idea of postracialism and argues that just because a black man was elected president of the United States doesn’t mean racial equality has been achieved. Rinku says implementing policies to end racism won’t erase it.
“Most Americans don’t see racism as a system enabled by rules and structures,” writes Sen. “They have no idea that when we lay seemingly race-neutral policies on top of the history of explicitly racist policy, the racial gap remains in place or grows.”
To address racism and work toward achieving real racial justice Sen advocates re-framing the postracial discussion.
In “Birthers and Birchers: Hiding Behind Stars and Stripes,” Loretta J. Ross makes a link between those who deny Obama’s citizenship (birthers) and nativist, racist sympathizers (Birchers, named after members of the John Birch Society). Ross warns that to ignore the far right allows the further spread of deceitful misinformation.
“We need to build a united human rights movement that won’t allow wedge politics to divide us,” writes Ross, who is the National Coordinator of the SisterSong Women of Color Reproductive Health Collective and a Consulting Editor on this edition of On The Issues Magazine.
Serena Garcia, Communications Coordinator at SisterSong, also consulted on this edition.
In a unique featured artist piece, artist Faith Ringgold narrates a multimedia slideshow of her story quilt, “How The People Became Color Blind and We Came to America.” Ringgold is well known for her vast body of work that often combines painting, quilted fabric and storytelling.