12/9 Social Justice Book Swap

Join Just Read for a social justice book swap on December 9th from 7-9pm. Bring your old books to trade for something new to read over winter break. Then stick around to socialize with other awesome social justice people! Location TBD.

7/26 Rights of Indigenous People

7/26 Rights of Indigenous People
6:30pm in the MU Student Center

Reading:

1.The Last of the Tribe: The Epic Quest to Save a Lone Man in the Amazon by Monte Reel. I read this book earlier this summer. It is really amazing. It is a story about a group of guides who spent 15 years trying to protect one man and their journey. The following link is a 'look inside the book' [http://www.amazon.com/Last-Tribe-Epic-Quest-Amazon/dp/B004AYCXCA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1311561241&sr=8-1#reader_B004AYCXCA]

2. who is who? This explains some basics about indigenous people http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indigenous_peoples#Origins_of_phrase

3. The Gods must be crazy. This film was directed by Jamie Uys came out in 1980. It has sense been watched by so many people. This link has the first 15minutes, but you can find the whole movie on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66pTPWg_wUw

4. National Geographic interview with Alona Yefimenko about indigenous people of the Arctic Council about food and conservation struggles. http://newswatch.nationalgeographic.com/2011/07/23/why-indigenous-peoples-need-to-be-heard-in-the-global-debate-on-the-arctic/

5. Democracy Now covered a story on Zapatista in Mexico. In South America, some countries have had small triumphs for their indigenous people, but for the most part governments tend to suppress their rights among them land.

• http://www.democracynow.org/2004/1/2/the_zapatista_uprising_1994_2004_a
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CUpcuM95t5M

6. Housing: There are a lot of obstacles facing indigenous people, one being housing. Partners in Health is building houses for Twa in Rwanda. The programs such as these, intending to assimilate indigenous people into society, have been heavenly criticized and are usually not likely to succed. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L55lOXVqweU&feature=player_embedded

Online resources
a. http://www.indigenouspeople.net/sidemenu.html--choose 'cool links' and dig around
b. http://indigenouspeoplesissues.com/-- has an incredible amount of resources. you can choose region, issues, books or additional resources by source ie journals, videos...

Questions to ponder
1. What is civilization?
2. How is one civilized?
3. What role do societies play in cultural evolution?
4. How are non-indigenous societies endangering/harming the lives of indigenous people

Domestic Partnerships vs. Marriage

After New York passed a bill to allow same sex marriage, several articles about the problems with marriage started popping up. I think they raise some interesting questions about how we define relationships and how we legitimize couples. Worth a read.

Marriage is a Mixed Blessing
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/24/opinion/24franke.html?_r=1

I Wish I Wasn't Married
http://www.good.is/post/domestic-partnerships-should-be-an-alternative-to-marriage-for-all-couples/#

7/19 Pop Music as Activism

7/19 Pop Music as Activism
6:30pm, MU Student Center 2200

Rihanna:
Man Down video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEhy-RXkNo0
No Means No: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2hPhILxez8

Lady GaGa:
Born this way video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wV1FrqwZyKw
Portrait of a Lady: http://www.advocate.com/article.aspx?id=211596
Gaysi, Legacy of Lady GaGa: http://gaysifamily.com/2011/05/16/the-legacy-of-lady-gaga/

Bono:
All Star Tribute, Whats going on Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T2hPhILxez8
Stop Saving Africa:
http://www.american.com/archive/2007/july-0707/africans-to-bono-for-gods-sake-please-stop
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/13/AR2007071301714.html'

Homework: think of some women empowerment anthems of the last 30 years. Now look up who wrote the lyrics. Does that influence your opinion of the song?

7/12 Racism and the LGBTQ+ Movement

Be sure to glance through the comments on most articles as well!

http://standingwatch.net/2009/08/31/hate-101-racism-in-the-lgbt-population/
http://twodown48togo.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/prop-8-town-hall-it-was-almost-a-dismissive-response/
http://www.365gay.com/blog/090110-pastor-accuses-lgbt-organizations-of-racism/


Advocate Cover Stories (Do you see any patterns?):
http://www.advocate.com/PrintIssue/CoverStories/
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.429209273854.222930.6030918854 (Facebook album of covers)


Wanda Sykes: "It's harder to be gay than black."
http://www.queerty.com/is-wanda-sykes-right-when-she-says-being-gay-is-harder-than-being-black-20110604/ (video)
http://www.theroot.com/buzz/wanda-sykes-its-harder-be-gay-black
http://racerelations.about.com/b/2011/06/04/wanda-sykes-says-its-harder-to-be-gay-than-black.htm


List of Comments from LBGT-themed blog, Queerty:
http://transgriot.blogspot.com/2009/03/queerty-transphobia-racism-and-white.html


How-to guide(?) on fighting racism in the LGBTQ+ Community:
http://lesbianlife.about.com/cs/workschool/ht/racism.htm


"Racism in the Gay Community and Homophobia in the Black Community:  Negotiating the Black Male Experience" (77-page thesis)
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-05222008-112356/unrestricted/ClarenceEBrownIII2008Thesis.pdf

Insanity Defense: Psychopaths

I wanted to share this before we discussed the prison side of the criminal justice system. It's only tangentially related, so I didn't post it as additional reading. I think the article is a good read regardless.

How to spot a psychopath:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2011/may/21/jon-ronson-how-to-spot-a-psychopath

"I wondered if sometimes the difference between a psychopath in Broadmoor and a psychopath on Wall Street was the luck of being born into a stable, rich family."

7/5 Prisons

Tuesday July 5th, 6:30pm
MU Student Center 2200

Workings of the U.S. Prison System:

The United States Prison System

http://library.thinkquest.org/06aug/00342/The%20Prison%20System.html

Summary of the Findings by the Commission on Safety and Abuse in America’s Prisons

http://prisoncommission.org/pdfs/prison_commission_summary.pdf

Solitary Confinement and its Effects

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2009/03/30/090330fa_fact_gawande

Masked Racism

http://colorlines.com/archives/1998/09/masked_racism_reflections_on_the_prison_industrial_complex.html

Disproportionate Incarceration of Young Black Women

http://ethnoblog.newamericamedia.org/2011/03/in-post-racial-america-prisons-feast-on-black-girls-1.php

SCOTUS Ruling on Overcrowding in CA Prisons

http://abovethelaw.com/2011/05/supreme-court-upholds-order-requiring-release-of-thousands-of-prisoners/

America’s Addiction to Incarceration

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/sam-slovick/addicted-to-incarceration_b_868473.html

Conditions Vary between Lifers and Death Row Inmates

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/11179/1156707-53.stm

Alternatives:

Problem-Solving Courts:

http://www.nadcp.org/learn/what-are-drug-courts/models/problem-solving-courts

Drug Courts:

http://thehill.com/blogs/congress-blog/campaign/166311-drug-courts-save-lives-tax-dollars

10 Alternatives:

http://www.forbes.com/2006/04/15/prison-justice-alternatives_cx_rd_06slate_0418alter.html

Norwegian Prison System

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1986002,00.html

Flogging?

http://www.salon.com/life/feature/2011/06/20/flogging_interview

Prison Vouchers

http://volokh.com/2011/05/31/prison-vouchers/

6/28 Controversies in Art

Tuesday 6/28, 6:30pm
MU Student Center 2200 (study rooms near traditions lounge)

Controversies in Art

Ethics of buying and selling art:
http://thegazette.com/2011/03/28/art-experts-break-down-pollock-controversy/
http://www.jrank.org/history/pages/6579/Trafficking-In-Antiquities.html

Cultural and jurisdictional ownership rights:
http://gogreece.about.com/od/museumsingreec1/i/marblereturn.htm
http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/0,1518,447136,00.html

Gender and culture concerns:
http://msmagazine.com/blog/blog/2011/02/01/where-are-the-women-in-googles-art-project/
http://paintingsgalleries.blogspot.com/2010/10/artists-painting-beauty-of-women-figure.html


The implications of forgeries:
http://www.archaeology.org/0101/abstracts/goddess.html
http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/0,1518,768195,00.html

What is Art?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tkteNuJepzU
http://www.philosophytalk.org/pas

6/21 Drug Decriminalization

Drug Decriminalization
June 21st, 6:30pm, MU Student Center Traditions Lounge

There are a lot of articles here, so just read what you have time for. Try to balance the pro & con opinions to get both sides.

Commentary on the 40 year Anniversary of America's War on Drugs
Jimmy Carter
White House National Drug Control Policy
Law Enforcement Against Prohibition

Tax and Fiscal Issues
Obama: Legalizing Pot Won't Grow Economy
Social Cost vs. Government Spending
Pro/Con

Central American Crime
America's Third World
Guatemala's State of Siege
Myths about Mexico's Drug War

Health
UN Backs Decriminalization
Portugal
Harmful Health Effects

US Policy
US Congressman Backs Marijuana Legalization
Don't Legalize Drugs

2011 Summer Update

The Social Justice Reading Group (or Just Read if you love puns) is happening again! Bring it on, summer 2011. For those new to the group, our philosophy is pretty simple: respect for all viewpoints. We're all coming from different places and educational backgrounds and we will disagree sometimes- which is part of the fun. If something offends or upsets you, try to address that in discussion to give everyone a chance to clarify their position.

A note on the format: SJRG is not a book club for two reasons. The first is cost, it gets expensive to require all the members to buy books. The second is sustainability. We can cut down on the environmental impact by passing along books after we read them. On that note... we're also doing book swaps this summer. Anytime you have a book you want to lend out, bring it to a meeting!

Meetings will be every Tuesday at 6:30pm, location TBD (but probably the MU Student Center).