Links roundup

Posted by Lashings of Ginger Beer

 Joyce B at Racism Review on the murder of Trayvon Martin [TW for mention of racism, racist violence and murder]:

Most of the parents of black children I know have had that conversation with their children. “You’re black, honey…and that means certain things to certain people.” We do it to protect them, to give them a lens so that when they’re treated out of line they don’t think they’re crazy, or that something is wrong with them. We do it so they can survive this world that encodes crime and drugs and lust and danger on their bodies. And yet, there’s Trayvon, there’s Jordan, and hundreds of others beaten and killed because they wear the ‘suspect’ suit as their birthright. It’s not new—of course. It’s old. It’s Emmett Till old. It’s slavery old. 

H. Samy Alim: #WeAreTrayvonMartin: Breaking the Silence Around Racist Abuse. A brilliant and powerful essay on an aspect of experience that people are often discouraged from sharing [TW for mention of racism, racist violence and murder]:

... it is clear that the murder of Trayvon Martin provides us with a moment to deal with the personal and collective trauma of racial abuse. Very rarely are our narratives of racial abuse and racial violence heard in the public sphere. And while the following narratives are personal  — thus exposing my vulnerability — I believe sharing them is necessary in order to help break the silence around racial abuse.

Kath from Fat Heffalump on lived realities of body policing:

In my own case, I’m told that people sneer and stare because of my brightly coloured hair, tattoos and clothing. As if that is somehow a suitable excuse for their behaviour. But I can assure you that I got the stares and sneers back when I was a fat brown mouse, doing everything I could to be invisible to the world. The truth is, in this “anti-obesity” culture, people are taught to sneer, stare and ridicule. They are taught that people like me are a scourge on society, that we are burden. 

Alex Gabriel analyses rape culture, street harrassment and the Home Office's problematic anti-rape ad campaign [TW for depictions of rape and accounts of misogynist harrassment].

An older essay, but since the film came out in the UK this week, it's relevant again: Shannon Riffe at Racialicious on why The Casting of The Hunger Games matters.