Caribbean Matters: Racism rears its head again, this time in UK politics

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Thursday March 21, 2024 · 5:18 AM PDT

2024/03/21 · 05:18

Member of Parliament of the United Kingdom Diane Abbott

The United Kingdom is home to a notable Caribbean diasporic population (though as of the 2021 United Kingdom census 81.7% of the population is white). Sadly, it is no stranger to the ills and evils of anti-Black racism in its politics.

We’ve covered the Windrush scandal here in “Caribbean Matters” multiple times in the past, but the latest scandal over racism in the U.K. revolves around comments made by a top donor to the Conservative Party (the Tories): white software CEO and multimillionaire Frank Hester. Hester remarked about Diane Abbott, Britain’s longest serving Black MP and the first Black woman elected to Parliament, that looking at her on TV makes you “want to hate all black women” and that “she should be shot,” The Guardian reported.

Abbott, whose parents were part of the Windrush generation, migrating to England from Jamaica in 1953, has been an inspiration to many Black Brits, especially to younger Black women, both in the U.K. and in the Caribbean. In response to these ugly and racist comments, there has been a firestorm of protest. There has also been anger expressed over what is seen as an unsatisfactory response from the Tory Party over demands that they return Hester’s donations. Protestors are also critical of the Labour Party for not really standing up for Abbott.

“Caribbean Matters” is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Sunday March 17, 2024 · 5:59 AM PDT

2024/03/17 · 05:59

no image description available — Al Jarreau performs in 2000.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Around the world wherever there are people of Irish heritage, Catholics who honor St. Pat, or just folks (and some pets) who get into the joy of it all, there are parades and celebrations galore. Here in New York, everybody, including me, is a little bit Irish today.

I’m not actually Irish, of course. But as a kid I grew up with a love of leprechauns because one of my parents’ favorite Broadway shows was “Finian’s Rainbow.” Several of their friends were in the musical, we had the cast album, and I knew the words to every tune. I even thought of it as my birthday play, because the original production premiered on Broadway in 1947, the year I was born.

For those unfamiliar, “Finian’s Rainbow” is a tale about a leprechaun’s pot o’ gold being stolen from Ireland, only to end up in the made-up town of Rainbow Valley, Missitucky, where the townspeople, white and Black alike, are poor and exploited, while the white politicians are openly crooked and racist. The leprechaun follows his gold from Ireland and all kinds of magic and mayhem ensue.

”Black Music Sunday” is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over 200 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Thursday March 14, 2024 · 5:30 AM PDT

2024/03/14 · 05:30

For months, the people of Haiti have taken to the streets, demanding the resignation of unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry, who was installed after the July 2021 assassination of President Jovenel Moïse. On Monday, at an emergency meeting convened by CARICOM in the Jamaican capital, chairman Mohammed Irfaan Ali announced that Henry finally agreed to step down.

Henry then announced his resignation from Puerto Rico (where he’s been stranded since March 5).

“The government that I am leading will resign immediately after the installation of [a transition] council,” Henry said. “I’m asking all Haitians to remain calm and do everything they can for peace and stability to come back as fast as possible.”

The question now that Henry’s gone: Will the Haitian people accept the CARICOM plan—an appointed interim presidential panel—until there can be free and fair elections?

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Sunday March 10, 2024 · 5:59 AM PDT

2024/03/10 · 05:59

The Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins Monday in the United States. It’s a monthlong time of prayer, fasting, and introspection for Muslims around the world. It’s only fitting to highlight some stellar Muslim jazz musicians in this week’s “Black Music Sunday”—both their history and their music, which have been a blessing to listeners (of any faith or no faith) for many decades.

Many of the Black American musicians who developed bebop as a genre were converts to Islam, or were in bands heavily influenced by converts.

Join me for an exploration and celebration of Black Muslims’ contributions to both bebop and the wider world of jazz.

”Black Music Sunday” is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music, with over 200 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Thursday March 07, 2024 · 5:30 AM PST

2024/03/07 · 05:30

Juan Dalmau, candidate for governor, Puerto Rican Independence Party — Juan Dalmau is the Puerto Rican Independence Party candidate for governor of Puerto Rico.

The 2024 elections on the U.S. mainland are basically a matter of Democrats vs. Republicans, and media coverage tends to center the presidential race. But the political situation in the U.S. colony of Puerto Rico is very different, and is can be confusing to those not directly involved or affected by island politics.

What complicates this situation further is the fact that news about Puerto Rican elections—whether on social media, in print, or broadcast—is almost always in Spanish, which excludes non-Spanish speakers. Spanish-only print sources also exclude many Puerto Ricans in the diaspora; while many can speak Spanish, that doesn’t necessarily mean they can read the language. There are also, of course, many stateside Puerto Ricans who don’t speak Spanish.

Things are changing on the island, where there is an upsurge in support for progressive candidates like Juan Dalmau Ramirez, a member of the Puerto Rican Independence Party (el Partido Independentista Puertorriqueño in Spanish, or PIP) who is running for governor. While these shifts may not be enough to stop deeply embedded traditional conservative candidates from winning this year, the changes do bode well for the future.

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Sunday March 03, 2024 · 5:59 AM PST

2024/03/03 · 05:59

On Monday, people around the world will salute the memory of South African singer, songwriter, and civil and human rights activist Zenzile Miriam Makeba, who was also lovingly given the name “Mama Africa” by her admirers. Makeba was born in Johannesburg on March 4, 1932, and joined the ancestors in 2008 in Castel Volturno, Italy, at the age of 76. In over 50 years as a singer, Makeba traversed the globe, raising the consciousness of millions about the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa. A global citizen, Makeba sang in English, Zulu, Xhosa, Sotho, Swahili, Arabic, Hebrew, Spanish, and Portuguese.

When I was teaching anthropology and women’s studies, I was surprised to find out that most of my students had never heard of Makeba. They also knew very little about the anti-apartheid struggle, though most had heard the name of Nelson Mandela. Last summer, French-Malagasy singer Jain’s 2015 tribute to Makeba went viral on TiKTok. Hopefully more people are becoming aware of Mama Africa’s history and importance.

Please do pass this story on to friends and family—especially your younger folks. It’s one small way to help ensure that Makeba’s music and commitment to struggle live on, for generations to come.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Thursday February 29, 2024 · 5:30 AM PST

2024/02/29 · 05:30

Watching outside diplomatic efforts to once again “deal with” Haiti while knowing the history of past failed interventions there—which have kept Haiti from being able to govern itself—is frustrating and rage-inducing. Not just for Haitians, but also for anyone who’s been steeped in the history of Haiti’s ongoing punishment for having dared to become the first symbol of Black freedom from enslavement.

It’s a revolution for which they are still paying the price.

This week, headlines about Kenyan soldiers heading to the poorest nation in the western hemisphere once again blare “Haiti in crisis” and “gangs roam the streets,” while unelected Prime Minister Ariel Henry is well into his third year in power, propped up by the U.S.

Notably, elections have not been held since the July 2021 assassination of Prime Minister Jovenel Moïse that led to Henry’s ascension.

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Sunday February 25, 2024 · 5:59 AM PST

2024/02/25 · 05:59

Some folks are having racist conniptions about Beyoncé venturing into the country music realm, where she is now topping Billboard’s Hot Country chart with her song “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Her fans, mom, and ethnomusicologists are quick to point out that Bey was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where she was steeped in the country culture of rodeo, zydeco, and Black trail-riding cowboys and cowgirls.

RELATED STORY: Black Music Sunday: Exploring the Black roots of country music

Much of the real history of Black cowboys has been erased, to the point that when most people think of American “cowboys,” they likely visualize white screen actors, like John Wayne or Gary Cooper.

However, there are thousands of Black trail riders carrying on the Black cowboy tradition—and zydeco is their music of choice. Zydeco, a music birthed in southwest Louisiana by Black Creole people, was popularized in the 1950s. Since then, it has spread far from its geographic home.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Thursday February 22, 2024 · 5:30 AM PST

2024/02/22 · 05:30

Political divisions abound in the United Kingdom around immigration—with conservative Tories fighting to limit it (especially for people who aren’t white) and the Labour Party (and voters) standing against the Tories. The UK already has an ugly and checkered history with its colonies and colonial “subjects” in the Caribbean, many of whom are descendants of formerly enslaved people. Enslavement and British colonial rule took a heavy toll on the Caribbean, and people are still suffering today.

We’ve previously covered the history of Caribbean migration to the UK. There have been multiple stories highlighting the Windrush generation; including Windrush Day and continuing racism. We’ve also explored the change in status of former colonies like Barbados, who have opted to become republics.

In May 2022, we looked at the relationship of a Caribbean colony to its colonizer when we covered protests in the British Virgin Islands against looming recommendations being made for the Crown to impose direct British rule, after a scandal involving the island nation’s premier.

Nearly two years have passed; a new governor, Daniel Pruce, was appointed by King Charles III and sworn in on Jan. 29. He succeeds Gov. John Rankin, who bid the BVI farewell on Jan 25. And so the British Virgin Islanders remain colonial subjects, under British rule.

Contrast their status to that of the people of St. Lucia, who mark 45 years of independence from UK rule on Thursday.

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Sunday February 18, 2024 · 5:59 AM PST

2024/02/18 · 05:59

If she were still with us in life, Sunday would be Nobel- and Pulitzer-winning novelist Toni Morrison’s 93rd birthday. Though she joined the ancestors in 2019, the words she gifted us with will live on forever.

Through her years of writing and her total immersion in Black history and culture, there was always a deep connection to Black music and musicians. It’s no coincidence that the second novel in her Beloved Trilogy was “Jazz,” or that we hear a “rainbow of Blackness” in her “Song of Solomon,” to which pianist Jason Moran and bassist Christian McBride played tribute during a 2023 performance at the Kennedy Center.

Before I celebrate the illustrious Ms. Morrison, and the music that informed so much of her writing, I want to take a moment to address the readers of this series.

Thank you for supporting Black music in all its rich variety. This is the 200th installment of “Black Music Sunday,” which started as a source of healing at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, and we’re still going!

”Black Music Sunday” is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music with 200 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.

Denise Oliver Velez

Community

Thursday February 15, 2024 · 5:29 AM PST

2024/02/15 · 05:29

On Wednesday, Feb. 7, as Trinidad and Tobago’s residents and tourists alike were preparing to celebrate Carnival—a major event that takes place each year before Ash Wednesday—news broke of an oil spill off the coast of Tobago. The news raised multiple questions, due to the mysterious source of the oil-like substance: an abandoned capsized ship. The owners of the ship, named The Gulfstream, have not been identified as of this writing, though speculation swirls—including in online communities like Shipspotting and Reddit.

The spill, which is not the first Tobago has faced, has affected over 10 miles of Tobago’s coastline, and has been elevated to a national emergency by Prime Minister Keith Rowley.

For those of you unfamiliar with the nation, Encyclopedia Britannica describes Trinidad and Tobago as “the southernmost links in the Caribbean chain, northeast of Venezuela and Guyana.” At about 1850 square miles, Trinidad is the larger main island by far—Tobago measures just 115 square miles.

For context, when combined with the 20 or so smaller neighboring islands, Trinidad and Tobago is roughly the same size as Delaware.

Caribbean Matters is a weekly series from Daily Kos. If you are unfamiliar with the region, check out Caribbean Matters: Getting to know the countries of the Caribbean.

Denise Oliver Velez for Community Contributors Team

Community

Sunday February 11, 2024 · 5:59 AM PST

2024/02/11 · 05:59

It’s Super Bowl Sunday—which we have covered here at “Black Music Sunday” in the past—but with Valentine’s Day on Wednesday, we’re going to get into love song mode.

R&B and soul artists have been singing about love since the genre took hold in the 1940s, and they’re still going strong today. Usher headlining the 2024 Super Bowl halftime show is a testimony to that. He’s also paying tribute to R&B artists of the past.

But let’s not forget rocker Tracy Chapman, who got her flowers onstage at the Grammys last week for her duet with Luke Combs. “Fast Car” is a heartbreaking, visceral ballad, but Chapman has also written some powerful love songs.

With thousands of love songs to choose from, I won’t be able to include them all, so check out some past Valentine’s Day selections: In 2022, we featured Houston Person, Etta Jones, Etta James, Ben Webster, and Johnny Hartman with John Coltrane. And in 2021, Sarah Vaughn, Ella Fitzgerald, Arthur Prysock, Nat and Natalie Cole, Miles Davis, and Ben Webster sung their hearts out for us.

Truthfully, I could probably write a music story every day and never scratch the surface of the plethora of songs about love.

”Black Music Sunday” is a weekly series highlighting all things Black music with nearly 200 stories covering performers, genres, history, and more, each featuring its own vibrant soundtrack. I hope you’ll find some familiar tunes and perhaps an introduction to something new.

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Caribbean Matters: Racism rears its head again, this time in UK politics

Black Music Sunday: A St. Patrick's Day celebration of 'Finian's Rainbow'

Caribbean Matters: Amid pressure and protests, Haiti's prime minister finally resigns

Black Music Sunday: Celebrating Muslim jazz musicians as Ramadan begins

Caribbean Matters: The winds of political change are blowing in Puerto Rico

Black Music Sunday: Remembering 'Mama Africa,' Miriam Makeba

Caribbean Matters: The push for yet another 'intervention' in Haiti

Black Music Sunday: It's time to two-step into zydeco country

Caribbean Matters: British Virgin Islands pushes back at Crown; St. Lucia Independence Day turns 45

Black Music Sunday #200: Celebrating Toni Morrison's lifelong love affair with Black music

Caribbean Matters: Disastrous oil spill off coast of Tobago darkens Carnival kickoff

Black Music Sunday: Valentine's Day is around the corner. What's your favorite love song?