Independent Lens

You are reading http://viridianariverstone.blogspot.com/.

Independent Lens"Thunder in Guyana"
Tuesday, February 22, 2005 10 - 11:00 pm

Janet Rosenberg Jagan, the filmmaker's cousin, was elected Guyana's president in 1997, becoming the first American-born woman to lead a nation.

This film weaves family history and Guyanese history with the extraordinary life story of this unconventional woman, who, along with her husband, Cheddi Jagan, is considered to be one of the founders of Guyana. (CC, Stereo)

Learn more about Janet Rosenberg Jagan at the companion Web site.
here

Federal agency scrubs the word 'gay' from conference literature

You are reading http://viridianariverstone.blogspot.com/.

If nobody collects statistics on Queer suicide, we can pretend we're not culpable.


Date: Wednesday, February 16 @ 10:43:07 EST
Topic: The Bush Administration
By Rick Weiss, San Francisco Chronicle

Washington -- A federal agency's efforts to remove the words "gay," "lesbian," "bisexual" and "transgender" from the program of a federally funded conference on suicide prevention have inspired scores of experts in mental health to flood the agency with angry e-mails.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services that is funding the conference on Feb. 28 in Portland, Ore.
On the program, at least until recently, is a talk titled "Suicide Prevention Among Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual/Transgender Individuals."

Everyone seems to agree the topic is important. Studies have found that the suicide risk among people in these groups is two to three times higher than the average risk.

So it came as a surprise to Ron Bloodworth -- a former coordinator of youth suicide prevention for Oregon and one of three specialists leading the session -- when word came down from SAMHSA project manager Brenda Bruun that the contractor running the program should omit the four words that described precisely what the session was about.

Bloodworth was told it would be acceptable to use the term "sexual orientation." But that did not make sense to him. "Everyone has a sexual orientation," he said in an interview Tuesday. "But this was about gays, lesbians, bisexuals and transgenders."

The title rewrite was one of several requested changes. Another was to add a session on faith-based suicide prevention, said Mark Weber, a spokesman for SAMHSA, who said he believed the brouhaha was all a misunderstanding.

SAMHSA prefers the term "sexual orientation" simply because it is more "inclusive" he said. And besides, he added, it was only a suggestion.
Asked how strong a suggestion, Weber replied: "Well, they do need to consider their funding source."

Upon due consideration, Bloodworth renamed the session "Suicide Prevention in Vulnerable Populations." But he is not happy.

"We find this behavior on the part of our government intolerable," he wrote in an e-mail to colleagues, in which he called upon the government to "end this shameful marginalization of an already marginalized at-risk population."

A Health and Human Services official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, said there was not a department-wide policy against using terms relating to sexual identity or orientation at federally funded venues.
Weber said some of the complaints received by his agency had been extremely vitriolic.

"It is incredible, the venom from these people," he said. "My boss is being called a Nazi."

copyright 2005 San Francisco Chronicle
Reprinted from The San Francisco Chronicle:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/02/16/MNG71BBLDI1.DTL

This article comes from The Smirking Chimp
http://www.SmirkingChimp.com

The URL for this story is:
http://www.SmirkingChimp.com/article.php?sid=19939

kinsey

You are reading http://viridianariverstone.blogspot.com/.

American Experience"Kinsey"
Monday, February 14, 2005 9 - 10:30 pm
Tune in for this profile of the controversial 1950s sex researcher Alfred Kinsey, whose findings blew the lid off sexuality in America. (CC, Stereo, DVI)
Log on for a chronological look at the life and work of Alfred Kinsey and the cultural and societal events that played a role in his research.
http://www.pbs.org/amex/kinsey

You are reading http://viridianariverstone.blogspot.com/.

* "CHISHOLM '72 - Unbought & Unbossed" airs Monday, Feb 7 @ 10 PM *Check your local listings for time and date in your area.
Don't miss this great film!
http://www.pbs.org/pov/chisholm
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman
elected to Congress. In 1972, she became the first black
woman to run for president. Shunned by the political
establishment, she was supported by a motley crew o
fblacks, feminists, and young voters. Their campaign-trail adventures were frenzied, fierce, and fundamentally
right on!"

Like a scientist trying to make a discovery, or a civil
rights protester, or anyone pushing the limits, believing
in change or ideas that are not yet the norm, there are
those who fail for others to succeed. Shirley Chisholm's
run for president is that kind of sacrifice play."- Shola Lynch, Filmmaker

Visit the "CHISHOLM '72" website to read excerpts from
Chisholm's autobiography, "Unbought and Unbossed," and
learn more about her thoughts on women's rights, the
Vietnam War and the future of the US, circa 1970. Muchof what she had to say then is still relevant today,
over 30 years later! Find out about the major events of1972, political convention history and read our Web-exclusive reprint of the 1973
Ms. magazine cover story
about Mrs. Chisholm written by Gloria Steinem entitled
"The Ticket That Might Have Been." Watch a video of
Ms. Steinem talking about Mrs. Chisholm and the film
earlier this month.http://www.pbs.org/pov/chisholm
==================================================

* Remembering Shirley Chisholm on the P.O.V. website
*As many of you might know, Shirley Chisholm passed
away on Saturday, January 1, 2005 at the age of 80.

An obituary in the New York Times quoted Mrs. Chisholm
as saying, as she left Washington, that she did not
want to go down in history as "'the nation's first
black congresswoman' or, as she put it, 'the first
black woman congressman.' 'I'd like them to say that
Shirley Chisholm had guts,' she said. 'That's how I'd
like to be remembered.'"

Do you have memories of Mrs. Chisholm? Did she inspire
you with her run for president? What do you think her
legacy will be? How will you remember her?

Share your thoughts on the Chisholm '72 discussion board:http://discussions.pbs.org/viewtopic.pbs?t=19266

==================================================
* February is Black History Month at pbs.org/pov
*Check out these interactive features on African American
history and culture at P.O.V. Interactive!

BAYARD RUSTIN: MARCHING ON WASHINGTON
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2002/brotheroutsider/special_march.html
The 1963 March on Washington, the largest protest the
country had ever witnessed, marked a turning point in
the history of public demonstrations on the Mall.

Learn more about the 1963 March (organized by Bayard
Rustin) and other marches that had high turnouts over
the past 100 years, and hear some thoughts on the future
of protest and marching in this interactive feature.

WATTSTAX RADIO: A SOULFUL EXPRESSION OF THE LIVING WORD
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/wattstax/special_radio.html
Listen to songs from this historic concert, the legendary
"Black Woodstock" - including Isaac Hayes, the Staple
Singers and the Bar-Kays - and find yourself back in 1972.

TWO TOWNS OF JASPER: RACE IN AMERICA - BEYOND BLACK AND WHITE
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2002/twotownsofjasper/special_raceinamerica01.html
In a series of conversations, Amy Goodman, host of
Democracy Now!, interviewed academics, politicians and
activists about the current state of race relations in
America. Listen as Amy talks with Howard Zinn, Winona
LaDuke, Angela Oh, Robin D.G. Kelley, Barbara Smith and
others about the role race plays in politics, in court,
and daily life in America.

==================================================
* From the Archives: Every Mother's Son - Remembering Amadou Diallo
*Four years ago today, when Amadou Diallo died in a hail
of police gunfire in his New York apartment building's
vestibule while reaching for his wallet, there was
widespread public outrage. Many New Yorkers believed
Diallo's death was an egregious example of police
negligence or criminal misconduct aimed at poor and
minority communities. Others, including then-Mayor
Rudolph Giuliani and the police leadership, suggested
the killing was a tragic yet unavoidable accident in
the dangerous job of policing the city's mean streets.
Learn more about successful approaches to policing,
including community policing and civilian oversight
boards in interviews with police officers, community
leaders and a prominent researcher. Take our quiz to
find out what kind of mayor, police officer and citizen
you might be in our fictitious medium-sized crime-ridden city. Finally, chime in with your thoughts about
Amadou Diallo on the "Every Mother's Son" discussion board.
http://www.pbs.org/pov/everymothersson

====================================================================================================* Teachers: Tape "CHISHOLM '72" Off the Air and Use Our Lesson Plan
*"CHISHOLM '72" Lesson Plan: Shirley Chisholm For President
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2005/chisholm/for.html

"Solid, straightforward docu should prove a durable
broadcast and educational item for years to come."- Dennis Harvey, Variety

This lesson plan helps students to learn more about
the history of political representation of minorities
in the US, research the process of presidential
elections as detailed in the Constitution, evaluate
the meaning of citizenship, representation and the
importance of voting, assess the role of political
campaigns in a democracy, and explore the modern role
of conventions in the electoral process.

Other lesson plans of note from the P.O.V. archivesfor Black History Month include:
LEARN ABOUT POLICING IN YOUR COMMUNITY
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/everymothersson/for.html
(P.O.V. - "Every Mother's Son")

Today is the 6th anniversary of Amadou Diallo's deathat the hands of 4 police officers in New York City.
This lesson plan features a P.O.V. film that profiles
Diallo and two other New Yorkers who were victims of
police brutality that made headlines around the
country and sparked protests in NYC in the late 1990's:
Anthony Baez, killed in an illegal choke-hold and Gary
(Gidone) Busch, a Hasidic Jew shot and killed outside
his Brooklyn home. Their stories are told from the
perspective of the men's mothers, who fight for justice
and accountability for their sons' deaths, and seek
systemic reforms that will help prevent such deaths
from happening in the future. After watching and
discussing the film, students will research their
local police department and work to improve its
effectiveness in the community.

EXAMINING PREJUDICE AND EVOLVING CONCEPTS OF CIVIL RIGHTS
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2002/brotheroutsider/classroom.html
(P.O.V. - "Brother Outsider")

In these lesson plans, students explore prejudice, the
origins of civil rights and the evolution of our idea
of rights, using "Brother Outsider" and Bayard Rustin's
life experience as a focus. Teachers can also download
a film discussion guide and a Delve Deeper PDF which
features a list of related films, books and websitesrecommended by the librarians from the American LibraryAssociation.

LOST CHILDHOODS - EXPLORING THE CONSEQUENCES OF COLLECTIVE VIOLENCE
http://www.pbs.org/pov/pov2004/lostboysofsudan/for.html
(P.O.V. - "Lost Boys of Sudan")

Study Guide produced by Facing History and Ourselves
The "lost boys" are refugees. Dictionaries usually define
a refugee as someone who flees his or her homeland in fear
of persecution for reasons of race, religion, ethnicity,
membership in a particular social group, or political
opinions. How is a refugee like an immigrant? What difference
seems most striking? Ask students to list some of the
challenges a young refugee might face in the United States,
particularly in a large city like Houston.

Find out more about P.O.V.'s classroom offerings in our
"For Educators" section:
http://www.pbs.org/pov/classroom.php

And please let us know how they went over in your classroom
by writing to us at feedback@pov.org

Queer & Homeless

You are reading http://viridianariverstone.blogspot.com/.

PRESS RELEASE The 8th Annual Homelessness Marathon
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACT:
Rogi Riverstone
Albuquerque: 505-842-8175
Toll Free: 1-877-718-0691
(rriverstone@yahoo.com)

8th ANNUAL HOMELESSNESS MARATHON Broadcasting in Albuquerque

Local producers will carry a live, hour discussion, to be aired at 10pm local time, on the impact of homelessness on Gay, Lesbian, Transexual, Transgendered, Pansexual and Bisexual people in Albuquerque. Stay tuned to KUNMfm 89.9 and http://kunm.org for further details.

The 8th Annual Homelessness Marathon is a nationally-produced show. Participating Pacifica, NPR and independent, community and public radio stations will both broadcast and air it. The Marathon will be broadcast from 9pm, EST on Monday, February 14th to 11am, EST on Tuesday, February 14, 2005. The broadcast will be carried on KUNMfm 89.9.

The Homelessness Marathon has been called, "the most significant media event focusing on homelessness and poverty" by Donald Whitehead, director of the National Coalition for the Homeless. And it is unlike any other broadcast in the world.
The Marathon is almost entirely live, covers taboo territory and features the voices of people who are rarely heard on the air. Perhaps for this reason it has grown rapidly. The first Marathon, in 1998, was on one tiny station in central New York. The 7th Marathon, in 2004, was on 80 stations coast-to-coast, with another 30 stations across Canada carrying a parallel Canadian Homelessness Marathon.

As always, the 8th Marathon's broadcast booth will be set up outside, to dramatize the plight of people with nowhere to go in the cold, and calls will be taken from around the country. But there will be no on-air solicitations. The Marathon is a consciousness raising, not a fundraising broadcast.
The 8th Marathon will be distributed via the NPR and Pacifica satellites and will be streamed on the web. More information, including broadcast schedules and audio clips from past broadcasts may be found at the Marathon's web site: http://kunm.org and http://www.homelessnessmarathon.org.