NYC Mayoral Election: race, religion, ethnicity and sexuality

Maybe we are finally living in a post racial society.  At least in New York City.  And don't get me wrong, I know we are far from being an example to the rest of the country and world. Just take a look at stop and frisk,  the Central park 5, Bloomberg's 12 years of massive gentrification, the never ending  homophobic  attacks, or the NYPD spying story on Muslims just to touchover the surface of our city's civic-social DNA.

What is interesting to me now, that I haven't noticed in blogs or news, is the social composition of the candidates running for mayor of NYC this election.

Maybe is because we are so used to diversity it is no longer a big deal when you have a married lesbian candidate running for the position,  or a Jewish candidate married to a Palestinian muslim; An Italian American, straight and white married to an African American and formerly Lesbian spouse. Or an Asian American and another African American running alongside.

YES, we definitely take it for granted because I don't think I've ever seen that anywhere else in the country. And I celebrate diversity. Diversity is progress.

Bill De Blasio

Something to think about (Race in America)

I found this photo and description (end of post) in a page called "Pure Peace Life Coaching" on Facebook and I want to share it on my blog because I feel it is important to address the topic of race in our lives. 

"This right here is exactly what hurts me about his case. We heard the defense basically rip Trayvon apart and talk about how he's this and how he's that. You know what he really is? DEAD! He didn't have to be dead but am over zealous, power tripping dude decides that he is a threat therefore he must be followed and eventually murdered. HE HAD THE GUN, Trayvon had a drink and skittles. HE HAD THE GUN, he pursued Trayvon, he harassed him....Trayvon was young, black and suspicious....that meant he had to die. 

That hurts. That hurts. It will continue to hurt because aren't we all Trayvon? As long as I'm gonna be suspicious just because I'm black, it's gonna keep on hurting."

We often subconsciously excuse ourselves of this lamentable topic to not think about how real it is in our thoughts and society. It is important to address that racism still exists today, even if a black president is in power, that it is unfortunately part of our culture so long as we choose to ignore it. Trayvon Martin is an example of this case. As a light-skinned person sometimes I feel my skin color privileges me from realizing what it is really like to be a person of color, that even writing about this topic doesn't make part of the struggle. But I can try. As an anthropologist and my own experience living in NYC, I like to believe that my sensibility to multiculturalism and ethnicities has shown me our principal problem in the topic of race is accepting that it still lives among us in the forms of fear of the unknown, the other. Ethnocentrism. When we don't know something, we get on the defense, we guess, we attack, we assume what it's not spoken. Very few people have the courage to ask questions and jump to the other side of the river. That's why I believe in order to seek change in our "post-colonialist, post-racial" society we have to start by talking about RACE with Each Other. 



**Update: Zimmerman was just found not guilty. surprised? saw that coming? The reality is that to be black in America is a dangerous path, here's an article with more info ***