Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with civilrights

On the history of the use of "X" as a surname stand-in in the Nation of Islam

cadastral — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:34:44 -0800

Most retellings of the murder of Malcolm X have listed as co-conspirators two men named Norman 3X (Butler) and Thomas 15X (Johnson). Yesterday while reading a manuscript about the history of the NOI in St. Louis, I came across men named Theodore 2X and Gerald 2X. I'm curious about the purpose and history behind the "(n)X" naming convention both within the NOI and elsewhere. Also looking for information about the use of the surname stand-in "X" in general. I get that in the most general sense it's portrayed as being a rejection of one's "slave name" as passed down from one's recent ancestors, as well as an attempt to embrace the unknown nature of one's true ancestral surname, but...

How common was it, before/during/after Malcolm X's prominence (the previous generation of NOI didn't seem to fancy it, and many of his contemporaries such as Farrakhan used it only briefly if at all)? Who was the first to use it? Was there some sort of qualifications that needed to be met before it could be used in something like an "official capacity" within the organization? Is it ever used now? Was it used outside of the NOI? What about the "(n)X" cognates listed above?

In short, I feel like most of us know a lot about what the "X" came to mean to the rest of America, I'm interested in knowing what the X meant to the NOI, in terms of its own internal institutional culture. Thanks.

Help me pick a marriage equality charity for donations

phearlez — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 08:49:59 -0800

I'm looking for a good charity to list as a suggestion on our wedding registry. Specifically, one that works for marriage equality for everyone. My darling fiancée and I have come to a happy compromise about how to handle our wedding registry, and it involves encouraging people to make a charitable contribution in lieu of a gift.

Our overall position is that we're delighted by any donation to almost any organization, but we intend to draw attention in particular to two: Habitat for Humanity and **BLANK**

I need your help picking the second one.

We would prefer an organization primarily working towards marriage equality. We'd be okay with one focused on dealing with the recent California and/or Florida propositions in particular, but would prefer one that has a nation-wide focus. We'd be okay with one that works for gay rights in general but would prefer they are focused on marriage rights and issues in particular.

I am unhappy with the work of the HRC on this issue so I'm not willing to use them for my specific suggestion. My darling found the organization Marriage Equality USA but I haven't found them in Guidestar and I'm not supporting a charity that I can't find a form 990 for.

Who should we list, and why?

I've already shot down a few Bill Cosby jokes too...

yellowbinder — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 11:22:38 -0800

I'm looking for a song for an Obama/Civil rights montage that doesn't come across as white condescending... I'm working on a video blog that's run and probably mostly watched by white folks. The host wants me to edit together a video of great civil rights moments and speeches, setbacks and triumphs, to celebrate Obama's victory. My problem is that the songs that have been suggested, such as "What a Wonderful World" seem to me to be a bit condescending. What's a good song I can use to back up the dreams, marches, and speeches without coming across as a well meaning but clueless whitey?

Can I refuse this inspection of my rental home?

kamikazegopher — Tue, 01 May 2007 14:47:57 -0800

Can a city inspector inspect inside my home without due cause? Is this a violation of the fourth amendment? So, I received notice that my rental duplex is going to be inspected through this program. I'm a pretty private person and I don't feel like government officials should be able to enter my house without an invitation or a warrant.

Are programs like this just looking for probable cause? Is it crazy that I want to call the ACLU? I'm not quite sure how to deal with this.

What'cha Gonna Do When They Google You?

scaryblackdeath — Tue, 26 Sep 2006 16:44:48 -0800

Police procedure filter: If you're a police officer (sworn, U.S. law enforcement), can you just run whatever license plates and/or I.D.s you want? Does it leave a paper trail of some sort? My question comes more from a writing project than any personal experience. If a police officer wanted to check on the name of a neighbor or a friend-of-a-friend for warrants, or check the license plates of a random car just to see who it belongs to, is he completely on his own in doing so? Or does he have to put in a request to have it done, along with some sort of justification for his request?

Do police face any kind of regular review for such issues to make sure they're not abusing the priviliges of their authority?

(Knowledge of Seattle's rules/procedures specifically would be grand, but I imagine the situation in one U.S. city would be similar in the rest.)

What liberal country should I move to?

fogster — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 23:29:10 -0800

What liberal country should I escape to? (I apologize if this offends anyone, or starts a flame war. That is not my intention.) Every time I turn on the news, I find something or other that makes me feel like the country I was born into (USA, lots of civil liberties, strong economy) is not the same country I'm living in today. Even though they haven't come for me yet, I don't want to stick around until it's time.

What country could an English-speaking single guy move to that doesn't have rapidly-eroding civil liberties? My requirements include English being widely understood (I'm open to learning another language if English isn't the primary one, but I'd prefer to not have to), a stable economy (and a good job market: I'll be fresh out of college), reasonable taxes (deliberately vague), and, most importantly, civil liberties that aren't on the decline. Ideally, same-sex marriages would be recognized and performed. Decent health care is important. I am not religious, if it's relevant. I'm not too picky about climate; I currently live in New England, so I can tolerate the cold.

So what country should I move to, and why?

How to deal with unprofessional liquor patrol agents?

Anonymous — Sun, 21 May 2006 04:56:55 -0800

I had an incredibly rude, and I think incredibly unethical run-in with the liquor patrol at the bars last night. I wish to do something about it but I do not know where to start. A very seedy looking man (gray hair, 50s, overweight, mustache), kind of pervy looking with absolutely not identication (like an ABC jacket or badge) claimed to be from liquor patrol and went around asking just the girls in the group for IDs. He then started asking for signatures and really questioning the IDs (for the record, all my friends are legal age). To me it looked like he was flirting and also memorizing everyone's name. A male friend stepped up and started to ask for some identification. At this point the man became very irate and told him not to speak unless spoken to and that "he could him in jail very quickly." To me this very defensive approach sent off all kinds of warning bells. It seems entirely reasonable to ask for identification from what could very well be a perv, I'm suppose to take this guy's word for it?

He got even more irate and told us all that he wanted to right down our IDs (except for mine I had no beer or liquor in my hand). Everyone refused and one went to get staff to call the police. The staff came over and assured us that it was liquor patrol, he still wouldn't show us any identification or anything but had this very smug look and made a comment that went something along the lines of, "respect authority when you see it." He also wouldn't tell us his name, telling us that he would tell us all we needed to know.

We all left and he made another smart ass comment as we did. I don't think anything illegal took place, but the behavior in my opinion is at worst dangerous and at the very least just incredibly pig-headed.

By the way the staff were treating him I do believe he actually was liquor patrol. What was very odd was the staff was incredibly submissive and visibly afraid of this man -- usually in my experience they try to mediate between customers and the law.

Are liquor patrol agents affiliated with the police, or are they a separate arm of the government? It seems odd if he was a police officer he wouldn't have seen how reasonable it was to just simply show his badge or some identification. I should say that as far as my friends they were incredibly respectful and were very clear on wanting to just see identification. There was no foul or belligerent language used on our part.

Anyway, would it be fruitful to try to follow up with a formal complaint to the correct agency? Do you think it will fall on deaf ears? I mean is this regular course of action and am I making a big deal out of it?

Alabama getaway!

jessamyn — Thu, 01 Dec 2005 07:17:00 -0800

Civil Rights tour of Alabama, destinations, places to avoid? Me and the SO want to go on a week-long civil/voting rights tour of Alabama in January. Fly in, rent a car, noodle around, stay in cheap hotels, etc. We're thinking about the Selma - Montgomery - Tuskegee black belt area but this is still up in the air. We have a short list of things we'd like to see, but I've never been to most of Alabama before though I have travelled in the Deep South quite a bit. So, for anyone who has done a similar trip or who lives in the area, is there anything not to miss, or places to avoid entirely? We're on a tight budget and perfectly content to walk around and look at things, so I'd love to hear about interesting streets/neighborhoods as well as good museums and other more tourist-oriented things. Advice on good food, good lodging, hidden delights, also welcome. Thanks.

How many Gay Marriage Amendments?

xoe26 — Sun, 20 Nov 2005 16:22:36 -0800

How many attempts have there been to pass a constitutional amendment that limits marriage to a relationship between a man and a woman? I hope this is straightforward, but I can't seem to find the answer.

Could a gay person from the US seek asylum?

Thu, 09 Dec 2004 09:12:42 -0800

This got me to thinking: Could a gay person/couple from the US seek asylum in another country (Canada, Sweden, etc) due to persecution/lack of civil liberties/some other reason?

Gay Rights and Religious Minorities

WolfDaddy — Wed, 18 Feb 2004 17:28:41 -0800

Why do so many leaders and members of non-gay minorities seem to refuse, if not outright stubbornly unwilling, to admit common ground between their own struggles to attain basic rights and what gay people have been and are going through? I've never been able to get an answer that, to my own ears, sounds anything but irrational, but I acknowledge my being a white male can obfuscate my point and overrule any other experience I might be able to relate as a gay person when trying to find common ground. But I don't think that's very fair, and am looking for ways to better argue that idea. Suggestions, please?