freckles make me strong.

Fox News radio host Tony Bruno recently pissed off baseball fans and immigration rights defenders alike when he went on a racist tirade against a Latino baseball player for the San Francisco Giants, Dominican-born relief pitcher Ramon Ramirez. After Ramirez hit the Philadelphia Phillies’ Shane Victorino in the back with a pitch and both teams got into a fight, Bruno tweeted the following: “gutless #!@%*# Giants. Bochy is a coward for having his illegal alien pitcher hit a guy since mighty Frisco boys …”

The moment proved to be an important opportunity for unsung heroes to speak candidly about racism.

Let’s be clear, the issue here is not that Bruno was mistaken because Ramirez has a P-1 VISA like most players from Latin America who play professional ball in the United States. It was wrong because it was racist, and it would be wrong for any human being to be labeled “illegal” in any form. This is how the i-word is used to dehumanize and demonize people of color and particularly Latinos, regardless of immigration status.

Big high five goes out to Bruce Bochy for taking a stand against the i-word and the racism and bigotry it connotes. This country has become far too casual is accepting the racist epitaphs used to make immigrants and visitors to this country feel unwelcome and less than. Thank you for standing up and calling Tony Bruce out.  

When home furnishing giant Ikea selected this fraying blue-collar city to build its first U.S. factory, residents couldn’t believe their good fortune.

Beloved by consumers worldwide for its stylish and affordable furniture, the Swedish firm had also constructed a reputation as a good employer and solid corporate citizen. State and local officials offered $12 million in incentives. Residents thrilled at the prospect of a respected foreign company bringing jobs to this former textile region after watching so many flee overseas.

But three years after the massive facility opened here, excitement has waned. Ikea is the target of racial discrimination complaints, a heated union-organizing battle and turnover from disgruntled employees.

Workers complain of eliminated raises, a frenzied pace and mandatory overtime. Several said it’s common to find out on Friday evening that they’ll have to pull a weekend shift, with disciplinary action for those who can’t or don’t show up.

[…]

It’s ironic that Ikea looks on the U.S. and Danville the way that most people in the U.S. look at Mexico,” Street said.

Seriously, IKEA, get your act together and don’t give into so completely to the super store cliche.

scroll down on the link below to the media matters pictures, about half way down the page and play the audio clips.  

If you haven’t heard Dr. Laura’s appalling N-word rant please check it out at the link above. What follows is a guest contribution from my roommate, Clanci.  

Dear Dr. Laura,

Thank you so much for clarifying to the African American public how racist we are.

For example, all this time i thought that I voted for Barack Obama because he was a democrat whose values I appreciated.  Now I see that I would have voted for any black politician, party be damned, because it is a “black thing.”  Thank you also for letting me know what a “black thing is.”  I wasn’t aware.

I also wanted to thank you for letting your caller on Tuesday, Jade, who is the catalyst of this letter, and all other blacks know that they are constantly hypersensitive to all things race and should never be offended when hearing a racist comment, no matter what the situation is.  In fact, you are so in tune to the issue that you knew Jade was being hypersensitive even before she finished her sentence.

Instead of letting her tell her personal story, you immediately jumped miles to quickly talk about what black people say on HBO.  Well, thank goodness you cut straight to the quick! I mean, clearly all black people, including Jade, appreciate it when comedians use the n-word, so thank you for the opportunity to let us appreciate you using it also.  Personally, i can’t get enough of it.  As a black woman, like your caller, I often am around white people.  I am not as fortunate to be as tested in this area as Jade because my friends and their acquaintances do not go out of their way to make comments about race simply because i am in the room.  But now if they do, I’ll know that I should just grin and bear it or not be in their company.  Or date white people, less I become the target of a racist comment.  That should do the trick.

I mean, heaven forbid that they should amend their ways and just try to have a pleasant evening without dragging my blatantly obvious racial differences into the conversation.  But I digress.  Thank you for the advice on the subject.  You know just what to do.

I was also very comforted to hear that you have a black friend who likes to play basketball.  This type of authenticity makes your comments carry even more weight for me.

Dr. Laura, your words have inspired others, and so not only do I get to know how you truly feel about the subject, but I also get to read the comments of others in white America who are authorities on how black people should feel as well. And thank goodness for that.  I did not know how to feel until Tim88rocks told me that you are not a racist, rappers are to blame and black people spend too much time focusing on the n-word. 

Dr. Laura, you, Tim88rocks and thousands of other white people are doing the hard work of changing the minds of millions of people—black, white, or otherwise—who might have otherwise thought it would be ok to be offended for people using racial slurs and making inappropriate comments in their presence.  What a burden this must be on you and Tim88rocks and countless others.  Good luck with your work.  I hope that it pays off.

The last thing that I wanted to thank you for was telling, not asking, but straight out insisting that your caller Jade not hang up the phone.  Good for you for insisting that she stick around for you to let her know what’s what.  Don’t let that grown woman decide what is best for her.  If she’s going to be married to a white man who lets his friends make comments about blacks in her presence, she had better get used to being made to feel crazy and stupid by white people.  A valuable lesson has been sent and received.

I cannot wait for the snarky comments to continue as black people like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton attempt to defend Jade and others who may have been offended.  I mean, what do they know?  They’re just black men who have been active participants in the civil rights struggle for decades.  They know nothing about being the recipient—or even the deliverer—of racist comments.  Lets let them stick to their rhyming sermons and all that jazz.

Well, that’s all for now. I am off to replay your heartfelt apology for all of my family and friends who may have been offended by your comments.  I want them to know, like I do, how changed you were by that experience.  I hope that it stays with you for a very, very long time.

Your new listener,

C