More Blacks Than Whites Oppose War
Bridges - Ethnic Media Digest
New California Media, News Digest, Compiled and Edited by Pueng Vongs, Posted: Feb 28, 2003
“Bridges” is a weekly report on news and views from the ethnic press and communities.
More Blacks Than Whites Oppose War
Despite the preponderance of white faces in the anti-war protests in American cities, recent polls show that African Americans are more likely than whites to oppose going to war with Iraq, reports the weekly Sun Reporter in San Francisco.
In recent Gallup Polls, whites supported invasion by a margin of 58 percent for the war to 37 percent opposed. Blacks, on the other hand, showed opposite numbers with 56 percent opposing and only 37 percent in favor of invasion, according to the report.
Racism, discrimination and a general distrust of government and conservative Republicans are fueling anti-war sentiments in the African-American community, says Gerald Harris of Oakland, who marched recently in an anti-war rally in San Francisco.
The report also states that there is the feeling that blacks – who make up a third of U.S. land troops in Europe – will pay a higher price for war, but still end up lacking equality and freedom at home as race profiling and job and housing bias linger.
There are also concerns that war will siphon needed programs from hard hit communities. “African Americans are disproportionately a people in need of government resources,” said Ronald Walters, director of the, African American leadership Institute, University of Maryland.
Indian Director Helps Bring Mandela Film to Life
Film star Morgan Freeman will play Nelson Mandela in a new, $40 million movie about the life of the man who won a Nobel Peace Prize for helping free South Africa from the bonds of apartheid, reports BlackPressUSA.com.
Based on Mandela’s autobiography, “Long Walk to Freedom,” the movie will be directed by Indian filmmaker Shekar Kapur.
Initially, Kapur turned down the project, but later accepted after visiting South Africa. ''Somebody had to take the responsibility,'' said Kapur. ''He [Mandela] is a spiritual hero like Ghandi. He does not need to fight a bloody battle to win.''
The movie will span Mandela’s highly eventful life; including his tribal upbringing, his political awakening and role in the African National Congress, and his 27 years in prison. His eventual release sparked the end of the oppression of South Africa’s blacks, and Mandela later became a five-year term president. The film will start production this year with a release date in late 2004.
Koreans Outnumber Other Asians in U.S. Military Service
Koreans lead other Asian Americans in the U.S. armed forces, according to numbers released by the Pentagon in the Korea Times.
As of last October, Asian American service men and women -- active and reserve -- numbered 16,740. Koreans made up more than one third of this number, with 6,367 serving in the army, the Pentagon statistics showed. Koreans were followed by Japanese Americans with 3,794, Chinese (3,616), and Vietnamese (2,963).
Compared with other Asians, Koreans have more readily accepted military service as a way of settling their immigrant lives, said Sgt. Kenny Ahn, a Korean-American official at the Hollywood U.S. Army Recruit Station, which covers Los Angeles Koreatown.
“Young immigrants easily accept the idea that Army service is the best opportunity to learn English, get free college education and enjoy overseas life experience,” said Ahn, who reported he recruited more than 40 Koreans for active duty during his two-year assignment at the station. Ahn, 31, described himself as a typical example. He joined the army 10 years ago, went to college in Texas and served in Hawaii before being transferred to his present duty.
Senator Ties Indian Sovereignty to Homeland Security
A United States senator said he would introduce a bill to restore full sovereignty to tribal governments overturning recent Supreme Court rulings by recognizing that tribes have primary law enforcement duties on their lands, reports Indianz.com.
Sen. Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii) a member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee said the bill would be included as part of a homeland security package.
Inouye said homeland security presents an opportunity for tribes to secure a status under federal law that will recognize their powers and responsibilities as sovereign governments. He said his bill will ensure that tribes are treated the same as states for security purposes.
Legislation to restore full criminal and civil jurisdiction to tribes has been in heavy discussion for the past two years in response to a series of negative Supreme Court decisions that have limited tribal authority over non-Indians. Tribal leaders have cited two cases in particular: Nevada v. Hicks, which expanded state police powers on reservations, and Atkinson v. Shirley, which struck down the Navajo Nation's hotel and occupancy tax. Both cases were decided in 2001.
Pilgrims Feared a One-Way Ticket
Fewer Muslims in America went on the hajj (the annual pilgrimage to Mecca) this year than ever before, amidst fears over the consequences of leaving the country.
Even before the hajj began, the Council for American Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Muslim American advocacy group, decided to issue a travel advisory based on recent incidents in which Muslim travelers returning to the United States have been denied entry, sometimes for reasons not disclosed by U.S. officials. "We've already had increased reports of people who've been harassed and denied entry into the U.S.," Ibrahim Hooper, Communications Director for CAIR told the Near and Far Digest. "There seems to be a concerted effort to dig for any excuse to deport people from the U.S."
This year, only 7,000 Muslims from America traveled to Mecca on the five-day hajj, which is considered obligatory for all Muslims to perform at least once in their lives. According to the Saudi Embassy, which handles hajj visas, this is a third less than the annual average of 12,000 pilgrims from the United States.
Mickey Mouse Grabs the Maracas for Latino Kids
Recent headlines in California media noted that Latino newborns now account for over half the total births in the state. One company that seems to be paying attention to this growing market is Walt Disney, which released two sing-along records in February aimed at Latino children, reports El Tecolote.
In its Feb. 26 issue, the San Francisco-based bilingual biweekly featured a review of the two CDs. “Cantar y Jugar,” or “Singing and Playing,” is a compilation of old Spanish-language Disney children’s songs and features an illustration of Mickey Mouse shaking maracas on the cover. “Favoritas de las Princesas de Disney,” or “Disney Princesses’ Favorites” features Spanish-language versions of popular songs from recent movies.
Disney, based in Burbank, Calif., well known as an entertainment brand in Latin America, has slowly begun to target Latinos, unrolling a Spanish-language website for its theme parks in 2001 and starting to issue movie soundtracks in Spanish for the U.S. market.
Pedro Tuyub, managing editor of El Tecolote, wrote in his review of the CD music how the old Disney songs reminded him of his childhood in Yucatan, Mexico listening to some of the tunes. One song “Naranja Dulce,” or “Sweet Orange,” is played in the style of Aztec and Taraumara ritual music. “The tic-tac-tic-tac sound of the cascabeles and the hollow call of the ocarina gave me these cold chills I always felt whenever I visited the Mayan pyramids in the Yucatan Peninsula,” he wrote.
Donal Brown, Kapson Lee and H. T. Lee contributed to this report.
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