April 12,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, a reader said , “James you may be intimidated by a strong civil rights attorney but Harwin could be whatâs in the best interest of those of us who actually own our homes and pay taxes.” Funny you should say that ,the staff got a giggle out of this one , you don’t know this blog very well do you ?
So as a “strong civil rights attorney” you really should address the overt racism implied by pushing the Village of Ridgewood to hoist a “white only rainbow flag in the Central business District but also at Ridgewood High School .
Philadelphia is redefining the LGBT pride flag. The city has a launched a new campaign, âMore Color More Pride,â adding one black and one brown stripe to the traditional six colored rainbow. The new design will be, from top to bottom: black, brown, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple.
âThe black and brown stripes are an inclusionary way to highlight black and brown LGBTQIA members within our community,â said one source involved with the flag-raising event who asked not to be named. âWith all of the black and brown activism thatâs worked to address racism in the Gayborhood over the past year, I think the new flag is a great step for the city to show the world that theyâre working toward fully supporting all members of our community.â
A spokesperson for the event would not confirm the new design, but in a statement described the flag reveal as âa special, canât-be-missed unveiling and raising of a brand-new Pride flag which promises to be a step toward inclusivity, to spur dialogue within the community, and to impact the worldwide conversation.â
Lookin for input from the LGBTQ Black and Brown community. Will be introduced at Philly Pride this year. In 1978, artist Gilbert Baker designed the original rainbow flag. An iconic symbol of LGBTQ+ unity. So much has happened since then. A lot of good, but thereâs more we can do. Especially when it comes to recognizing people of color in the LGBTQ+ community. To fuel this important conversation, weâve expanded the colors of the flag to include black and brown. It may seem like a small step. But together we can make big strides toward a truly inclusive community. (Black Lives Matter Hudson Valley).
Let us call out the rainbow flag wavers for what they are â racists. No I am not kidding. And this is not a conservative accusation. PROGRESSIVES are calling the rainbow flag racist because it excludes minority LGBTs.
Philly has now added a brown and a black stripe to make the flag inclusive (see link below).
So let us call out those flying a rainbow flag without black and brown stripes in a white town like Ridgewood for what they are â racists.
I sense a huge opportunity for 4 members of the council to seize the initiative, call out the flag bearers for their bigotry and install an inclusive version of the flag.
https://www.cnn.com/2017/06/13/health/new-pride-flag-colors-trnd/index.html
What is Alexandra Harwin actually running on as well as Janice Willet? The municipal budget came in under a1 percent increase , a garage will be built, the village displayed the rainbow flag and once again all the vitriol and divisiveness is coming from Paul Aronsohn, Roberta Sonenfeld, Jeff Voigt [ who has lost his mind if he thinks Paul has forgotten his accusations at the mic several years ago] and others who wanted a 90 foot baseball diamond at Schedler and can’t get over that they are not ruling the roost anymore and hopefully never will again.
Willet and Harwin must adopt the new flag. To do otherwise would be to deny the full spectrum of racial harmony in the LGBT community. It is revolting that there should even have to be a discussion about this. What are they waiting for? They are clearly on the wrong side of history.
You go James and the “staff” getting all PC about updating a flag designed in 1978 and pulling a CNN article! You do know the Baker flag went from 8 colors to 6 primary colors to replicate a natural rainbow. ..secondary marginalization is not new James and “staff” so go Ridgewood and put up the Pride banner with as many stripes and colors it takes to be inclusive. And BTY if the Blog staff ever needs a meetig place, i have a friend who has a smart car.
“Once you go black,…” đ
Redesigned pride flag recognizes LGBT people of color
By Nancy Coleman, CNN
Updated at 1:25 PM ET, Tue June 13, 2017
The city of Philadelphia unveiled this flag in a ceremony last week.
Story highlightsNew flag adds black and brown stripes to represent LGBTQ people of colorPhiladelphia may be first city to symbolically recognize racism within LGBTQ community
(CNN) â When the Supreme Court made same-sex marriage legal nationwide two years ago, the White House was illuminated with rainbow lights reminiscent of the pride flag to celebrate.
For Amber Hikes and many others in the LGBT community, the lights were a powerful symbol of a government’s support for a marginalized community that had historically struggled to be recognized, much less openly supported.
Now Hikes, a black queer woman, is excited about a new gay-rights symbol: a pride flag with additional black and brown stripes above the rest of the rainbow. The stripes represent LGBT individuals of color, a group that can often be overlooked within the overall LGBT umbrella.
The flag was unveiled at a recent Pride Month kick-off event in Philadelphia as part of a new campaign, More Color More Pride, which aims to recognize nonwhite LGBT communities as part of the broader pride movement, starting with the most visible and widely-recognized symbol of the LGBT community.
The campaign was developed by Tierney, a local ad agency that worked with Philadelphia’s Office of LGBT Affairs, where Hikes is the executive director.
Hikes said she shed a tear when the flag was raised last week for the first time. Others at the event had similar reactions. To the best of Hikes’ knowledge, Philadelphia is the first city to publicly and symbolically recognize racial discrimination within the LGBT community.
“To see this at City Hall is such a profound statement,” Hikes told CNN.
Philadelphia’s downtown gay neighborhood, called the Gayborhood, has faced multiple instances of racial discrimination within the past year, including discriminatory dress-code policies at local bars and a leaked video of a nightclub owner using a racial slur. The campaign and new flag are one way the city and the Office of LGBT Affairs are addressing those issues.
Hikes said she has already seen the impact the new flag and event have had on residents in Philadelphia as well as other cities across the country. A combination of citizens, community groups and other local government officials have reached out to her from multiple cities, including Miami, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, to express their appreciation for the added level of visibility.
“Right off the bat, it has absolutely started a conversation, certainly in this city and beyond,” she said.
Related Article:Â The first 100 days in LGBT rights
“But with the nationwide support [for the 8 color flag] came pushback and criticism. Hikes said that the “vast majority” of critics are gay white men.”
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Ahh…the real racists, apparently.
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And to think that this same group has dared to imbibe so enthusiastically from the unassailable logic of the mid-20th-century protests demanding basic civil rights for African Americans, for whom the science is IRREFUTABLY settled that they did not and do not choose their distinguishing feature (i.e., “born this way”).
“Smart car.” Don’t care who you are–that right there is funny! Good one, SV!
Mrs. Valdes, I believe James (and the âstaffâ) were pointing out the irony of the exclusivity inherent in the actions of the “inclusive” crowd, demonstrating how difficult it is to represent all citizens when you seek to divide them into aggrieved groups for purely political gain. Iâve got a unique idea, letâs just fly the American flag over Village Hall (quelle horreur!) as a symbol that all citizens of the Village are valued, not just those the Left values (in line with that âregressiveâ and antiquated, but truly inclusive âE. Pluribus Unumâ thingy)? Honestly, I cannot even conceive of anything more trivial these matters are. The fact that we are even discussing this tripe shows how bad things will get if we elect “Social Justice Warriors” such as Harwin to the VC. The roads will still be bad, the same debates over parking, bloated school budgets and overdevelopment will rage, but we will be knee-deep in the divisive identity politics which has made normal social interaction stunted in this country. Why did we need to have this silly debate over a flag over Village Hall anyway? Are we going to fly flags in support on our non-LGBTQ citizens as well? Does Ridgewood have some history of anti-LGBTQ pogroms that I haven’t heard about? Thanks, but no thanks. I want the VC to stick to issues of improving quality-of-life issues, not wasting time on “Animal Farm” group pandering (I submit your INGSOC-esque “secondary marginalization” comment as a tiny preview of what we can expect) and speech codes to stifle legitimate debate by candidates using the Village as a stepping stone into state and national office.