Discrimination

In 2002 a woman named Martha Burk burst into our living rooms and challenged everyone to decide if private country/golf clubs that exclude women were discriminatory. Many responded with a quick no. They are private! was the largest chorus in the responses. Of course, our 15-second media didn’t allow for much discussion of why Burk thought that these clubs were discriminatory. For her stance, Burk was harassed and threatened - The FBI were called out to ensure her safety when she protested outside the Augusta National Golf Club for not allowing women to be members during the 2003 Masters. Her suggestion that Tiger Woods should be taking a stand upset a lot of golf fans on top of criticizing one of golf’s most revered tournaments. I fielded a press call as a board member of a local NOW chapter with this quote: “Woods underestimates his power as a spokesman for golf. “He would be like a sponsor of a TV show,” Arreola said. “If a TV show was racist, the advertiser could force change or pull its sponsorship. Tiger Woods has that kind of power. He doesn’t have to pull out of the British Open or the Masters to get a reaction. He just needs to take a stand.”(Chicago Tribune, 7/17/2002 “Woods finds hazard; organizations upset at his lack of stance on Augusta’s exclusion of women”) I stand by my quote just as I stand by Burk today. Read More »

Under the auspice of racial solidarity, sexism within hip-hop culture has grown to unbearable proportions. Rap lyrics condone rape and prostitution while simultaneously reinforcing the idea that a Black woman’s value can only be found beneath her panties. Even in the earlier days of hip hop, the message was the same. It was just said a little more nicely. The question is not how long will hip hop subjugate us, the question is–will we continue to put up with being subjugated? Read More »