With respect to Washington State, both Tacoma and Seattle are quite racially
and ethnically diverse, probably much more than people in other parts of the
country imagine. Tacoma has more poor people and more people of color than
Seattle. But, Seattle has its share of Native Indian tribal peoples, African
Americans, people with ancestors from Latin America, people with ancestors
from the East Mediterranean, such as from Syria and Egypt, Asian Americans
with ancestors in China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Japan,
India, Pakistan, Indonesia, and some I can't remember right now. There are
also recent refugees and migrants from Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the
East Mediterranean. There are something like 75 to 100 languages spoken by
children and adults in the Seattle Public Schools. It varies from year to
year, and I haven't been keeping track recently, so I don't know the most
current precise number. But, that should give you an idea of the diversity
in the city. The south part of Seattle is more diverse than the north part,
but there is some diversity in there too. The part of Seattle where I live,
the Rainier Valley, has been listed as the most racially and ethnically
diverse neighborhood on the West Coast. Unfortunately, as Seattle
gentrifies, more and more poor people and people of color have had to move
to near suburbs, so some of them have also become quite diverse over the
past 20 or 30 years.
For justice and peace,
Sylvie
----- Original Message -----
From: "Miriam Vieni" <miriamvieni@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <blind-democracy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Monday, March 28, 2016 7:39 PM
Subject: [blind-democracy] CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories;
Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial
Makeup of Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
________________________________________
CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of
Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
March 28, 2016
Bernie Sanders supporters are furious after CNN attributed the Vermont
senator’s primary wins over the weekend to the “largely white and rural”
makeups of Alaska, Hawaii and Washington—demographic claims that are
exaggerated.
In an article titled “Takeaways from Western Saturday,” CNN’s Chris Moody
wrote [3], “These caucus states—largely white and rural—are the type of
places Sanders traditionally does well. In order to win the nomination, he
must replicate this success in other, more ethnically diverse states that
hold primaries, as he did in Michigan last month.”
There is a key problem, however: the claims are not true.
While Alaska is majority-white [4], one-third of its population is comprised
of people of color, with a large native population (14.8 percent). CNN’s own
Mona Basu noted [5] in January that the diversity of some Alaskan
neighborhoods “may surprise folks from the lower 48 who picture Alaska as a
largely homogenous and snowy American extremity. But Alaskans are quite
proud of their distinctive demographics.”
According to the latest data [6] from the U.S. Census, just 26.7 percent of
Hawaii's population identifies as White. Meanwhile, 10 percent are native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 37.5 percent are Asian, 23 percent are mixed
race and 2.5 percent are black. “More than any other state, Hawaii stands
out when it comes to its racial and ethnic diversity,” Pew Research Center
wrote [7] last year. “The Rainbow State has never had a white majority.”
Meanwhile, Washington is the seventh most diverse state in the country,
according to this list [8].
Employees of Time Warner, which owns CNN, are major donors [9] to Hillary
Clinton, fueling [10] concerns about CNN’s fairness to Sanders in its
election coverage.
CNN’s spin is in step with a much broader media narrative [11], in which
Sanders supposedly does not do well in states with racially diverse
populations. This narrative comes in the midst of an election cycle in which
Black Lives Matter protests have forced issues of racial justice into the
forefront. These movements are demanding real solutions from all candidates,
not superficial pandering to win votes.
Meanwhile, people of color who support Sanders are demanding that their
identities be seen. That’s why Leslie Lee III, a black Sanders supporter who
is from Louisiana and currently lives in Yokahama, Japan, started the
hashtag #BernieMadeMeWhite.
“The common narrative in this election that Bernie has a ‘minority problem’
or that all his supporters are ‘bros’ is pervasive, and insulting to the
POCs [people of color] and women who support [him],” Lee told [12] Raw Story
reporter Katie Halper. But, “it hit a peak… when Hawaii, the least white
state in the nation, retroactively became white or ‘not diverse’ due to the
fact that Bernie won it. So, I started #BernieMadeMeWhite [13].”
The hashtag quickly took off on Twitter:
*Editor's Note: Article was modified to show that employees of Time Warner
are major donors to Clinton.
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [23].
Share on Facebook Share
Share on Twitter Tweet
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [24]
[25]
________________________________________
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/dear-cnn-stop-erasing-people-color-who-support-bernie-sanders
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/26/politics/primary-election-2016-takeaways/
[4] http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/02
[5]
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/most-diverse-place-in-america/index.html?sr=tw061215akmostdiverse11pStoryGallPhoto
[6] http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/15
[7]
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/06/native-hawaiian-population/
[8]
http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/7-most-ethnically-diverse-states-in-america-362065/2/
[9]
https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00000019&cycle=Career
[10]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-hanley/money-talks-why-cnn-wants_b_8313536.html
[11]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/bernie-sanders-just-trounced-hillary_b_9551782.html
[12]
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/berniemademewhite-meet-the-black-writer-who-called-out-the-media-for-erasing-people-of-color/
[13] https://twitter.com/hashtag/BernieMadeMeWhite?src=hash
[14] https://twitter.com/HillyesRose
[15] https://twitter.com/MisaelFrancoO
[16] https://twitter.com/TheBpDShow
[17] https://twitter.com/cenkuygur
[18] https://twitter.com/tokyovampires/status/714074809303367680
[19] https://t.co/4lDvIL6Y6T
[20] https://twitter.com/SikhProf/status/714468886419210240
[21] https://t.co/5ez1E1JU5z
[22] https://twitter.com/sluggahjells/status/714276185405067264
[23] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[24] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on CNN Whitewashes ;
Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of Hawaii,
Alaska and Washington
[25] http://www.alternet.org/
[26] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
Published on Alternet (http://www.alternet.org)
Home > CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial
Makeup of Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
CNN Whitewashes Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of
Hawaii, Alaska and Washington
By Sarah Lazare [1] / AlterNet [2]
March 28, 2016
Bernie Sanders supporters are furious after CNN attributed the Vermont
senator’s primary wins over the weekend to the “largely white and rural”
makeups of Alaska, Hawaii and Washington—demographic claims that are
exaggerated.
In an article titled “Takeaways from Western Saturday,” CNN’s Chris Moody
wrote [3], “These caucus states—largely white and rural—are the type of
places Sanders traditionally does well. In order to win the nomination, he
must replicate this success in other, more ethnically diverse states that
hold primaries, as he did in Michigan last month.”
There is a key problem, however: the claims are not true.
While Alaska is majority-white [4], one-third of its population is comprised
of people of color, with a large native population (14.8 percent). CNN’s own
Mona Basu noted [5] in January that the diversity of some Alaskan
neighborhoods “may surprise folks from the lower 48 who picture Alaska as a
largely homogenous and snowy American extremity. But Alaskans are quite
proud of their distinctive demographics.”
According to the latest data [6] from the U.S. Census, just 26.7 percent of
Hawaii's population identifies as White. Meanwhile, 10 percent are native
Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, 37.5 percent are Asian, 23 percent are mixed
race and 2.5 percent are black. “More than any other state, Hawaii stands
out when it comes to its racial and ethnic diversity,” Pew Research Center
wrote [7] last year. “The Rainbow State has never had a white majority.”
Meanwhile, Washington is the seventh most diverse state in the country,
according to this list [8].
Employees of Time Warner, which owns CNN, are major donors [9] to Hillary
Clinton, fueling [10] concerns about CNN’s fairness to Sanders in its
election coverage.
CNN’s spin is in step with a much broader media narrative [11], in which
Sanders supposedly does not do well in states with racially diverse
populations. This narrative comes in the midst of an election cycle in which
Black Lives Matter protests have forced issues of racial justice into the
forefront. These movements are demanding real solutions from all candidates,
not superficial pandering to win votes.
Meanwhile, people of color who support Sanders are demanding that their
identities be seen. That’s why Leslie Lee III, a black Sanders supporter who
is from Louisiana and currently lives in Yokahama, Japan, started the
hashtag #BernieMadeMeWhite.
“The common narrative in this election that Bernie has a ‘minority problem’
or that all his supporters are ‘bros’ is pervasive, and insulting to the
POCs [people of color] and women who support [him],” Lee told [12] Raw Story
reporter Katie Halper. But, “it hit a peak… when Hawaii, the least white
state in the nation, retroactively became white or ‘not diverse’ due to the
fact that Bernie won it. So, I started #BernieMadeMeWhite [13].”
The hashtag quickly took off on Twitter:
*Editor's Note: Article was modified to show that employees of Time Warner
are major donors to Clinton.
Sarah Lazare is a staff writer for AlterNet. A former staff writer for
Common Dreams, she coedited the book About Face: Military Resisters Turn
Against War. Follow her on Twitter at @sarahlazare [23].
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.
Report typos and corrections to 'corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx'. [24]
Error! Hyperlink reference not valid.[25]
Source URL:
http://www.alternet.org/election-2016/dear-cnn-stop-erasing-people-color-who-support-bernie-sanders
Links:
[1] http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-lazare-0
[2] http://alternet.org
[3] http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/26/politics/primary-election-2016-takeaways/
[4] http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/02
[5]
http://www.cnn.com/2015/06/12/us/most-diverse-place-in-america/index.html?sr=tw061215akmostdiverse11pStoryGallPhoto
[6] http://www.census.gov/quickfacts/table/PST045215/15
[7]
http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/04/06/native-hawaiian-population/
[8]
http://www.insidermonkey.com/blog/7-most-ethnically-diverse-states-in-america-362065/2/
[9]
https://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/contrib.php?cid=N00000019&cycle=Career
[10]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-hanley/money-talks-why-cnn-wants_b_8313536.html
[11]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/seth-abramson/bernie-sanders-just-trounced-hillary_b_9551782.html
[12]
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/03/berniemademewhite-meet-the-black-writer-who-called-out-the-media-for-erasing-people-of-color/
[13] https://twitter.com/hashtag/BernieMadeMeWhite?src=hash
[14] https://twitter.com/HillyesRose
[15] https://twitter.com/MisaelFrancoO
[16] https://twitter.com/TheBpDShow
[17] https://twitter.com/cenkuygur
[18] https://twitter.com/tokyovampires/status/714074809303367680
[19] https://t.co/4lDvIL6Y6T
[20] https://twitter.com/SikhProf/status/714468886419210240
[21] https://t.co/5ez1E1JU5z
[22] https://twitter.com/sluggahjells/status/714276185405067264
[23] https://twitter.com/sarahlazare
[24] mailto:corrections@xxxxxxxxxxxx?Subject=Typo on CNN Whitewashes ;
Sanders' Primary Victories; Denies Diverse Racial Makeup of Hawaii,
Alaska and Washington
[25] http://www.alternet.org/
[26] http://www.alternet.org/%2Bnew_src%2B
