--- [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Where in the rule book does it state that ONLY > women can represent women, > ONLY people of color can represent people who > look like them, etc?
Mark: Unfortunately there is no rule book, and unfortunately those without privilege are the only ones that really see the need for one. IMHO [In my humble opinion] We are all made up of prejudices, values, and what we feel is "right". My views on certain issues are very, very different than a straight, white, young, male, just because of who I am, and my life's experiences. People with privilege tend to see things much differently than those that don't have the privilege. Barbara Smith, a Black, lesbian writer once said, "To come out as a poor, black, lesbian, is the strongest political statement any woman in the U.S. can make, because there is not privilege you possess". As a Black, lesbian, I find I do notice things like racial profiling, while many folks don't feel that it is an issue. Things like redlining, while many will say it is a thing of the past. Things like disproportionate number of children of African descent and Native American descent are in out of home placement, while there are those people that are trying to build more institutions for our children, and the disproportionate number of people of color in the prison systems, while people of color do not disproportionately commit crimes. I would like people that have a gut level sensitivity to my needs making decisions that will effect my life for the next 10 years. I am not saying those that don't look like me will purposefully misrepresent me, but I truly would feel more comfortable with someone that I know has demonstrated they have the same or similar values making major decisions about my life. Matthea Little Smith Ward 9 Powderhorn Park ===== Matthea Little Smith "Those who profess to favor freedom and yet depreciate agitation are people who want crops without plowing the ground; they want rain without thunder and lightning; they want the ocean without the roar of its many waters. The struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, or it may be both. But it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand: it never has and it never will." -- Frederick Douglas __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send FREE Valentine eCards with Yahoo! Greetings! http://greetings.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A Civil City Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest option, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
