Category Archives: Racism
It’s poor judgement and parenting, people…less about race
It’s been a while since I’ve shared my thoughts and concerns about our community – recently, those concerns have been building and I’ve reached a point that I can’t keep quiet any longer.
I’m disturbed by the number of people unwilling to accept responsibility for their, and their offspring’s, actions. Recently, any number of people have been making excuses for why a teen or adult child shouldn’t have received the results their poor choices derived. At what point do we insist that people take responsibility for the havoc and pain they cause? Mourn the outcome, but be accountable and take responsibility for what led to …
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Posted in City of Rockford, Crime, Jobs, Parenting, Poverty, Public safety, Racism, Rockford Police Department, Winnebago County
Tagged Community, Crime, Education, Equity, Kris Kieper, law enforcement, Parenting, race, racism
Chick-fil-A anti-gay sentiment just provided a platform
Chick-fil-A’s president Dan Cathy expressed his personal opinion about gay marriage and the backlash has commenced. Politicians all over the country are hopping mad about his stance, Chicago Mayor Emmanuel going so far as to block expansion of a privately held Chick-fil-A to demonstrate his displeasure.
While I find Mr. Cathy and his remarks narrow minded and offensive, he’s no worse than other corporations that have atrocious histories of discrimination. So where is the outcry and outrage over those? Wal-Mart has been sued, and lost, multiple times for racial discrimination, discriminatory hiring practices and sexual harassment - how many politicians …
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Posted in Economy, Jobs, Politics, Racism, Women's Issues
Tagged Community, equal pay, Equity, Kris Kieper, Politics, Sexual Harassment, Women
It’s All About Winning
Republican/Democrat, race, gender, socioeconomic status, pro-choice/right-to-life, pro-gay marriage/anti-gay marriage, Coke/Pepsi; just look at the articles in any newspaper, blogs and their comments or simply turn on talk radio to see and feel the constant division and tendency to choose the box we want to be tucked into today. For the past two months, I’ve avoided consuming any local news outside the actual newspaper. No blogs, no online comments, no talk radio, nothing. And you know what? I feel better!
Submersing myself on a near daily basis with all the negative people who feel they must put their two cents worth in on …
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Posted in Economy, Education, Health, Immigration, Jobs, Politics, Poverty, Racism, Rockford, Uncategorized, Winnebago County
Tagged Community, Community Development, Equity, Kris Kieper, Politics
Standing Against Racism in Rockford
This week, YWCA’s across the country are Standing Against Racism with a unified voice and are appreciative of the many individuals, businesses and organizations standing with them. Rock Valley College is proudly leading the Rockford stand against racism.
You may be of the opinion that racism is a thing of the past, ending with the civil rights battles and you may believe we’re a much more progressive and sophisticated culture now. If your beliefs fall into this pattern, chances are pretty good that your skin is white and you’re not Asian, Latino, Black or Native American.
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Posted in Racism, Uncategorized, Winnebago County
Tagged Civic Engagement, Community, Education, Equity, Kris Kieper, race, racism
Trayvon Martin a tool for other agendas?
Depending on where you get your news about national stories, like the murder of Trayvon Martin, the story you’re hearing will have a bias or a slant. Evidently, story also changes depending on the platform. The Pew Research Center’s Project for Excellence in Journalism reports:
“On Twitter, the conversation has focused on sympathy for the slain teenager and expressions of outrage at the killing. On blogs, the emphasis has been on the role of race in the highly charged case. In the mainstream media, the Trayvon Martin controversy was heavily a cable news and talk radio story. And there, the primary discussion
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Posted in Racism, Rockford, Rockford Police Department, Uncategorized
Tagged Community, Education, Equity, hoodie, Kris Kieper, race, racism, Trayvon Martin
