Today I read "Grassroots - a field guide for feminist activism" by Jennifer Baumgardner & Amy Richards. It's a DIY feminist activism book that gives examples of how everyday women can perform activist activities without having to be too radical. Examples are from high school, university students, women at work and in their local communities. Baumgardner and Richards speak about and provide contact details for many organisations performing and supporting feminist activism projects. I've included some links in the feminism and activism links on this site if you are interested in finding out more, otherwise track down the book from your local bookstore..

The authors, who also co-wrote "Manifesta", define activism (page xix, Prologue) as:

[quote] ".. consistently expressing one's values with the goal of making the world more just. We use feminism as our philosophy for that value system; that is, we try to take off the cultural lens that sees mostly men and filters out women and replace it with one that sees all people. We ask: "Do our lifestyles reflect our politics?" "How can we make sure that we all receive the same breaks - and basic necessities - traditionally awarded to white males?" An activist is anyone who accesses the resources that he or she has as an individual for the benefit of the common good. With that definition, activism is available to anyone. By asserting that anyone can be an activist, we aren't trying to weaken or water down its power. We believe that activism is by definition profound, a big deal, revolutionary. However, we are challenging the notion that there is one type of person who is an activist - someone serious, rebellious, privileged, and unrealistically heroic." [/quote]

I've just finished reading "Where you're at - notes from the frontline of a hip hop planet" by Patrick Neate. I thought it was a great book - sometimes he went off on a few tangents, but they provided interesting background information on the context of the hip hop communities in the different cities covered in the book. I'm now re-reading/skimming through it to post up some notes on sections I found most thought provoking. Much of the underlying thread of the book is about the cultural misappropriation of hip hop.

from Part One: New York
page 30
[quote]"In 1996, the Oakland School board passed a resolution that African-American schoolchildren did not, in fact, speak English but a separate language called Ebonics. They should be taught, therefore, in the bilingual educational structure offered to other students with English as a second language. Unsurprisingly, this resolution caused a media ruckus that sparked debate across the political and academic spectrum." [/quote]

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from Part One: New York
pages 31-32
[quote]The Oakland resolution arose from a desire to explain continuing underachievement by African-Americans in school. Black students, the argument went, were disadvantaged by the need to learn standard English that differed from the dialect they spoke at home.

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