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Staying Abreast in a World on Fire

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by Elder Rev. Qiyamah Rahman

Media Entities

More than eighty-four percent of the world’s 595 state-administered media entities in 157 countries were surveyed in a recent report from the Media and Journalism Research Center. The report indicated a lack of editorial independence, meaning most media entities are government operated.

While none of the media entities examined were American based, the American public may need to cast a discerning eye on its own media outlets. The institutional biases of American media tend to produce biased coverage, contributing to the severe information distortion which hinders Americans’ ability to objectively discern the realities of national and world politics.

During times of instability such as we are currently witnessing – increased attacks on democracy, repressive state and federal policies – vigilance is required. How free media is from government influence can determine the state of that government’s democracy. In the face of such controversial issues, short video clips and sound bites are not always a helpful or effective way to become informed about these important and controversial issues.

Cognitive Distortions

Challenging and changing cognitive distortions, i.e., thoughts that cause individuals to perceive reality inaccurately, are not totally the fault of individual Americans. Media biases and so many other factors contribute to cognitive distortions. Consequently, negative thinking patterns reinforce negative emotions and thoughts.

To facilitate my own awareness, I developed a curated list of resources on three topics of interest: Haiti, student protests, and Israel/Palestine. This represents my small effort to identify some of the available progressive sources whose values position human lives above profit, peace above war, and critical thinking above a herd mentality of conformity.

Haiti

Little is known about Ayiti (aka Haiti) except that it is poor and violent. Yet, this nation mired in ongoing crises is just a ninety-minute plane ride from Miami, Florida. In 1492 Christopher Columbus landed on the island and named it Hispaniola (little Spain). In honor of the indigenous population, Jean Jacques Dessalines renamed the island Ayiti, or Haiti. Haiti was once the wealthiest Caribbean country during its existence as a French colony, when it flourished from its sugar forest industries, made possible with the free labor of enslaved Africans. In 1607, Spain yielded ownership of the western part of the island to France, and that became known as Haiti.

With its then population of 500,000 enslaved Africans, which vastly outnumbered the slave-owning French, the Africans rebelled in 1801 under the leadership of General Toussaint Louverture. In 1804, Haiti became the first independent Black country in the western hemisphere, yet it is now the most impoverished. How is that possible, you might ask? Years of civil unrest, political corruption, social economic crises, food insecurity, AIDS, tuberculosis, cholera, and natural disasters have contributed to Haiti’s poverty and instability. Fast forward to January 12, 2010, when a devastating earthquake killed an estimated 300,000 people and injured over 200,000.

The recent assassination of Haiti’s president in 2021 has escalated violence. Additionally, gangs are collaborating to overthrow the remainder of the government, including a prison break of over 4,000 prisoners. In Haiti’s capital, many families have been forced to flee their homes, seeking safety with very few safe places to go.

Haiti’s history is one of resistance, revolt and instability, reflected in its numerous coups and militarization, including US occupation from 1915-1934. A little-known connection between Haiti and African Americans exists. A group of more than 500 Haitians known as Les Chasseurs Volontaires de Savannah fought in the 1779 Battle of Savannah. In October 2009, a memorial was erected to these heroic Haitian soldiers.

Many Haitians settled in Louisiana when the 1791 revolt started in Haiti. In the nineteenth century, Haiti’s legacy as the first Black independent country to achieve independence was a huge inspiration to African Americans in the US. Emigration movements led by Martin Delany and James Theodore Holly encouraged African Americans to move to Haiti. Nearly twenty percent of free Blacks from the north went to Haiti before the Civil War. Unfortunately, many returned due to linguistic and climate differences. The later occupation of Haiti by the US – and their altering of Haiti’s constitution – led the NAACP to denounce these US policies.

Student Protests

Student protests are not new. Student protesters often mirror a society’s social ills and issues writ large. This was evident during the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights era. Journalist Kayla Jimenez assembled an overview of past student protests that mirror present-day student demonstrations.

University of California, Berkeley: Free Speech – In the sixties, students began protesting the University’s limits on political activities and free speech, both during the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War era. According to Jimenez, nearly 800 students were arrested. The University eventually overturned policies that restricted the content of speech or advocacy.

Kent State University, Ohio: Vietnam War – Students gathered on May 2, 1970, to protest the Vietnam War and the US invasion of Cambodia. Two days later, the National Guard fired on the protesters and fatally injured four, wounding several others. Nationwide protests at hundreds of colleges and universities required a closure of these institutions.

Jackson State College, Mississippi: Racial Injustice – On May 15, 1970, just days after the Kent State killings, Jackson police opened fire into the women’s dormitory at Jackson State College, killing two and wounding twelve students.

Nationwide: Apartheid South Africa In 1985, anti-apartheid protests swept campuses across the country. Many students felt strongly about the oppressive system of apartheid in South Africa and demanded that their educational institutions sever ties with groups that supported this ideology. Columbia University was at the center of the protests and was one of the first to divest from business ties with South Africa. They were followed by 155 more universities. The US Congress also passed the Comprehensive Anti-Apartheid Act in 1986 to prevent new trade and investment between the US and South Africa.

Israel/Palestine

The Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA) hosted a ninety-minute webinar on November 6, 2023, for religious professionals and congregational leaders titled, “Why We Cannot Turn Away: Resources for UU Leaders Engaging on Israel & Palestine.” While SisterSouurce was not present, we have attempted to provide a curated list of resources for those whose shared desire is to eradicate violence.

In a world driven by profit and greed, it is important that we speak out to end violence and replace it with the message that human lives matter. And while there is no one perspective or analysis within the UU community, what we share are our seven principles that recognize the inherent worth and dignity of all human beings and acknowledge the interdependent web of all existence. We cannot advocate for animal rights, pristine water or air, and not endorse the elimination of genocide and violence.

This webinar includes the voices of many speakers representing a wide range of experiences and identities. Individual presenters represent their own perspectives and opinions, which may differ from those of the UUA. For more about the UUA’s historic and current public statements about Israel/Palestine, please see our page UUA Statements, Public Writings, and Community Conversations on Palestine/Israel.

CURATED LIST OF RESOURCES

Articles

Bogues, Anthony. “Haiti: A Saga of Democracy, Sovereignty and State Rule.” Watson Institute for International & Public Affairs. Brown University. July 12, 2021. https://watson.brown.edu/clacs/news/2021/haiti-saga-democracy-sovereignty-and-state-rule-anthony-bogues

Godin, Jake, “How State Media Became a Weapon of Information Warfare.” Scripps News. July 18, 2017. https://www.scrippsnews.com/world/how-state-media-became-a-weapon-of-information-warfare

Lauren Kelly, “Blinken calls for Hamas to accept “extraordinarily generous” cease-fire deal.” The Hill. April 29, 2024. https://thehill.com/policy/international/4629393-blinken-hamas-israel-generous-ceasefire-deal/

Mines, Keith. “There is a Path Forward in Haiti – But It’s Not the One We Are On.” United States Institute of Peace. June 29, 2023. www.usip.org

Godin, Jake. “How State Media Became a Weapon of Information Warfare.” Scripps News. July 18, 2017. https://www.scrippsnews.com/world/how-state-media-became-a-weapon-of-information-warfare

Reports

A Brief Background to Conflict in Haiti. Collaborative Learning Projects. www.collaborative.orghttps://www.cdacollaborative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/A-Brief-Background-to-Conflict-in-Haiti.pdf

Hands Off Haiti. Progressive International. https://progressive.international/wire/2022-10-22-hands-off-haiti/en

Haiti: Conflict Analysis 2023. Carleton University. https://carleton.ca/cifp/2023/haiti-conflict-diagnostic-2023/

The State of State Media: A Global Analysis of the Editorial Independence of State Media Based on the State Media Matrix (2022). https://www.researchgate.net/publication/364289716_the_state_of_state_media_a_global_analysis_of_the_editorial_independence_of_state_media_based_on_the_state_media_matrix_2022_edition

Videos

“Police Storm Columbia’s Hamilton Hall, arrest protesters: Shocking footage.” https://thehill.com/video/police-storm-columbia’s-hamilton-hall-arrest-protesters-shocking-footage/9655327/

“Unbelievably Dangerous: Journalist describes chaotic scenes at site of UCLA Protest.” https://thehill.com/video/unbelievably-dangerous-journalist-describes-chaotic-scenes-at-site-of-ucla-protest/9655537/

“Whoopi Goldberg warns media to tread lightly on campus protests.” https://thehill.com/video/whoopi-goldberg-warns-media-to-tread-lightly-on-campus-protests/9655591/

Websites

Center for Disaster Philanthropy. www.disasterphilanthropy.org

Institute of Haitian Studies, The University of Kansas College of Liberal Arts & Sciences. www.haitianstudies.ku.edu

Children of the Nations. www.cotni.org

Answering the Question October 2020

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Hi Joseph, Mark, Mark, Takiya and Michelle:

I trust each of you is well and safe. I have chosen each of you very carefully because of who you are and because I admire how you show up in the world.

I would like to pick your brains about an idea that I have had for some time. It is a website devoted to Black UU women’s artistic and scholarly pursuits. It would be a “gathering” place for their/our voices and works. I see it as the premier location that would draw UUs and others that want to contribute to the small but growing body of works by/for/about Black UU women and girls. It would become a place that would include: research and funding sources, interviews, advice column, music, art, a roving camera, blogs, and different genres of Black women and girls’ expressive works that provide a glimpse into our lives.

My question is, at this point and time in UU history, should I restrict it to Black UU women and girls or should I create a website for UUs of Color and Latinx women and girls?

I need to pose this question before I get ready to hit the go button. I am actually “interviewing” freelancers to build the website. But I decided to pause because I realize this is bigger than me and I do not want to look back years from now and regret having claimed too small or too large a vision. It never occurred to me to do a personal website because that is too small and I want to gather Black UU women’s and girls’ voices.

It is time. It is past time. I cannot tell you what it felt like to research white women’s entry into UU ministry and to find so much history they have documented and books they have produced about their journey. The envy I felt as a writer and researcher, knowing how I had to scrape to find the smallest bit of info about Black clergy women. And not even having benefit of basic information like how many of us there are. And finally realizing that we would have to create what I was looking for because it did not exist.

Even as I am writing and reflecting I am getting clearer that I must devote this website strictly to Black UU women (femme, transgender, womxn, non-binary) otherwise, the tendency is to go broad and compromise the depth and richness. And that is not what I want. I want deep, deep, rich, rich conversations and research and thoughtful analyses. Going broad will not produce that.

When I say this is my legacy work I am not just saying some words. This is what I am creating and leaving as a representation of my life. Besides my three children, the work I am doing as a writer, griot and researcher is my next most important contribution. Just as I am reading and poring over others’ works I know one day others will discover my words and read, reflect and form an opinion of who I was and what I attempted to do. I want to know I left something of quality. I want others to feel what I feel when I discover information that broadens my understanding and awareness about Black UUs and their presence. I want them to feel that pride and connection that I feel when I read about the champions and superstars and everyday individuals that came before me.

Another practical reason to restrict and narrow the focus on Black UU women and girls is the data base in my brain and on my laptop is becoming so extensive that I cannot stay on top of it. I cannot manage it. I must organize all this information while the neurons are still firing. I was going to share the basic “proposal” I had put together but I cannot find it. None of the possibilities that come to mind have caused it to surface. Right now this is a matter of having too much info in my head and needing to empty some of it out. The website allows for that. But I have been around long enough to speak to elders that I interviewed in the early 2000s who now have some memory loss due to the natural aging process or are suffering from dementia. I do not want to leave it to chance that my efforts will be catalogued.

I should probably delete this email because I have answered the question for myself that I originally posed to each of you. But sharing my thoughts helps me stay connected to each of you in ways that this pandemic seeks to sever.

Blessings!
Qiyamah A. Rahman