Mickey Mouse: Racism in Plain Sight

This weekend, I took a nice drive up the Hudson Valley to attend my friends' engagement party in Monroe, NY. Driving north on I-87, I was struck by the natural, beautiful and bountiful colors of the fall leaves. The gathering of family and friends at the party was nice and intimate, and yet, I was engaged with a picture hanging in the corner of the rented room.  This picture was of a firefighter and Mickey Mouse. 

 

My curiosity grew as I stared at this picture (featured above).  I wondered for a second what real mice looked like.  Searching through the images in my mind, I only saw mice whose faces matched the rest of their fur.  However, Mickey Mouse was a black mouse whose face was either white or creamed colored.  Curious!

 

Some quick research with Wikipedia told me that this design was intentional.  Mickey’s face was originally white and later redesigned with Caucasian skin tone.  Certainly, Mickey’s creators are very much allowed to make their own artistic choices, but I can’t help but to notice how race was an intentional choice made in the early 1900’s.

 

For most of my life, I thought that racism was about direct insults or exclusion.  However, after looking at Mickey once again, I am wondering if racism in America is more insidious and hidden from plain sight in cartoons and household names like Mickey Mouse. 

 

I spent 38 years thinking of Mickey as a dear childhood friend, not realizing that his face was painted with racial overtones.

 

This made me question a few things:

1.      Why did Mickey have to have a white or Caucasian face with a black body?

2.      How many cartoons characters have I loved and cherished and not noticed that they are depicted as "white."

3.      How many cartoon characters reflect positive images of people of color?

 

I shared my discovery with a few people at the party.  They were all polite enough to indulge me with some interest, and we continued to honor the engagement of our friends.  We ate, laughed, and celebrated the afternoon away. 

 

Driving away, I felt happy for my friends. 

 

As I traveled back down the Hudson Valley, I noticed the colors of the sky in the sunset and the hues of the leaves falling onto the highway.  I became more aware of the colors in our world, and I made a wish. 

 

I whispered out to the Hudson River, “May mainstream American images reflect the natural, bountiful and beautiful colors of all people as we move towards a world where even some cartoon characters aren’t more privileged than others simply based on their skin tone.”

Thanksgiving/Day of Mourning: Looking Beyond the Myths

It has been over 5 years since I celebrated any commercialized holidays in a traditional manner. Out of all the holidays, Thanksgiving, has been the most difficult holiday for me.

Personally, I still long for a familial connection as well as yearn for foods that feed my soul.  But alas, my family disowned me in my youth, and as a vegan, I am heartbroken to hear about all the turkeys that have been slaughtered for this holiday (some estimates states over 40 million).

Culturally, I long for a connection between the myths I learned in grade school and the truth about Thanksgiving. 

Today, I mourned the loss of my family, tradition, and innocence.  I reflected, forgave, and re-searched.  My feelings are mixed as I honor the history of my life and that of my country. Both are rich, complex and also painful.  And because, or inspite, of that history, I am here. 

As the night grows nearer, I feel empowered to share one video I screened that might help you also make the connection to our history.  Please watch, enjoy, and repost.

Oh, and may you enjoy your Thanksgiving/Day of Mourning!

Below is the video: Native Americans Mark Day of Mourning on Thanksgiving: "We are not Vanishing, We Are Not Conquered"

 

Link to Video

Conscious Choices

Everyday we get to make a bevy of choices. Many are made without thinking.  Some choices happen out of habit, while others are influenced by systematic oppression through the pressure and reptition of the media. 

In my lifetime, I have said over and over again, "I should have thought that through," or "I didn't think about that," or "It was by accident."

So, for today, my intention is clear.  I will aim to make as many intentional and conscious choices so to avoid making choices that I later regret.  This will make many of my choices to reflect my deepest values.  At the end of the day, I intend to be able to say, "I did that on purpose."

May you enjoy the opportunity to do the same.

PrideWorks? Yes it Does!

As a birthday present to my son, I invited him to participate and volunteer at an LGBTQ focused conference in Tarrytown, NY. There, we were lucky enough to spend the day learning and sharing with hundreds of other LGBTQ youth and straight allies.

This annual conference is called PrideWorks, and oh does it! I heard a central theme throughout the day, which was, "If we lived in a more accepting, tolerant and loving culture that encourages everyone to take pride in their innate beauty, then we would have less suicides, truancy, alcoholism, and other self injurious behaviors." One example of that is that studies show that any school that has a GSA (Gay Straight Alliance) builds confidence and pride in their students because the students feel like they belong and are supported.

As my son and I, who both identify as gay, walked out of the conference, I wished him "happy birthday" once more with my arm over his shoulders. He was beaming with pride thinking about his participation in the day's work and said, "You know, I think pride really does work!"

You bet it does.

How have you helped a young person feel a sense of pride this month? Please reply below.