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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2012)
NEWS BRIEFS experimented on black female slaves without anesthesia. “I want to talk about this convergence of understanding these legacies, not just capitalism on our bodies, but commodification of the black female body and how particular African American vegan woman use vegan activism to decolonize their body,” Harper said. Harper focused on Queen Afua, a prominent Afrocentric natural health practitioner who wrote the book Sacred Woman. Afua’s methods have helped heal thousands of black women (including Harper who says Afua’s methods decreased her fibroid tumors by 75 percent) from ailments that Afua believes are caused by a Eurocentric meat-heavy diet forced upon black slaves. In contemporary society, it is corporations, not the slave-owning establishment, that target African Americans with junk food, Afua argued and she said that the pre-colonial southern Egyptian plant- based diet is optimal for African-American health. However, Harper also considers Afua’s claims are problematic in that they focus on socio-economically privileged black women who partner exclusively with black men. “It is implied in Sacred Woman that the colonizers’ carnocentric and refined foods diet causes black people to have unhealthy relationships with their own sexuality and desires which are assumed to be heterosexual,” says Harper. Harper believes that in Afua’s efforts to free the black community from the remnants of slavery, she falls into the trap of the colonized mind herself by focusing only on heteronormative lifestyles. Harper hopes, through her work with the Sistah Vegan Project, an online virtual community that “focuses on how a plant-based consumptive lifestyle is affected by factors of race, racisms, sexism, heterosexism, classism and other social injustices within the lives of black females,” that mainstream black vegan America will shake its exclusivity to include the GLBT community and interracial couples. — Alexandra Notman happening people has deteriorated to a level of evil such that it is a threat to the spiritual, moral and mental health of each child who is forced to participate in it.” The farm is also home to 10,000 Geiger counters, according to Matthew’s brother Josh in a student profile on Matthew Robinson says, “The main reason I’m running is the OSU website. Art Robinson worked in civil defense in the to promote more honesty in politics,” but that seems 1980s, according to Matthew, and he was contacted about the disingenuous to those who question his last-minute entry into counters after a radiological monitoring program ended the May Democratic congressional primary against Rep. Peter during the Clinton administration. Fire departments and DeFazio. police departments around Oregon had monitors that were His father, Tea Party darling and Republican congressional headed to the dump, but according to Robinson, his father was candidate Art Robinson, is running again this year against asked if he wanted them instead and he DeFazio, and according to an email he accepted. They’re now still in storage sent to supporters, he did not ask his in one of the farm buildings. son to engage in a head-to-head with Matthew Robinson switched to the DeFazio for the Democratic primary. Democratic Party in August 2011, but Matthew Robinson is a Johnny- his political stances hardly follow the come-lately to the Democratic Party. liberal party line. He does not agree But that’s not the only weird thing that contraceptives should be provided about his campaign. He’s a nuclear by insurance providers as part of engineering doctoral student at OSU President Obama’s health care plan, and says he got all riled up when and he says he got interested in politics DeFazio labeled the Robinson family after being upset over government farm as a “survivalist compound” spending to alleviate a spiraling during the 2010 congressional economy a few years ago. “They’re campaign. Matthew insists the land his not suppose to be doing things like family owns in Cave Junction is that,” he says. nothing more than a sheep farm and So why is he running as a Democrat? the comment is an example of the Although he might not be dishonesty he intends to do away with. completely onboard with the party Matthew Robinson doesn’t see how platform he doesn’t see it as a problem. the “survivalist compound” designation “As a candidate I think you’re suppose came about. But there does seem to be MATTHEW ROBINSON to promote your own ideas,” he says. an awful lot of odd items out on the But this sort of tactic — or distraction — by the Robinsons farm. “My dad’s chemistry lab is out here,” Matthew says. hasn’t been lost on DeFazio. In a letter responding to a request “But that really doesn’t qualify it as a compound.” for a debate made by Robinson, DeFazio wrote: “Despite The Robinson farm is home to the Robinson Curriculum, your recent registration change to the Democratic Party, you a home-schooling package Art Robinson sells because the have repeatedly said you share the same values as your “social and religious environment in most schools in America ROBINSON THE YOUNGER FOR CONGRESS? BY PAUL NEEVEL CORRECTIONS/ CLARIFICATIONS In last week’s Chow! story “Angels in the Rye,” the location of the restaurant called Rye was incorrect. Co-owner Kiyallah Heatherstone tells us the restaurant is at 444 E. 3rd Ave., just off the Ferry Street Bridge. The phone number at Rye is 953-3473. LANE AREA SPRAY SCHEDULE • Weyerhaeuser Springfield, (541) 988-7502 or 974-2062, plans to ground spray Velpar DF, Accord Concentrate, Transline, Garlon 4 Ultra on 5 acres near Parsons Creek, T16S, R02W, S09. See ODF notice 2012-771-00280. • Lane Electric plans to spray Finale in and around the Fox Hollow substation Compiled by Jan Wroncy, Forestland Dwellers: 342-8332, www.for- estlanddwellers.org CHARLIE TEBBUTT Growing up in Albany, N.Y., Charlie Tebbutt spent time in the summers with his grandparents along the St. Lawrence River. He left high school at 16 for Simon’s Rock Early College in Massachusetts, later transferred to SUNY Albany, and after graduation spent five years working with the group Save the River to protect the St. Lawrence. “I realized I needed more tools to be effective as an activist,” says Tebbutt, who entered Syracuse Law School, got his degree in 1987, then joined the Atlantic States Legal Foundation, suing corporations for violating environmental regulations. “It’s what I do today.” He moved to Eugene in 1994 for a job with the Western Environmental Law Center, focusing on industrial pollution, and he co-directed the center’s Campaign to End Field Burning that succeeded in the 2009 legislature. “I still represent people and organizations to protect themselves and the planet,” says Tebbutt, who opened a private practice in 2009 when hard times forced WELC to cut back. “At any one time, I have 10 to 30 active cases.” At last month’s Public Interest Environmental Law Conference, Tebbutt was honored with the Kerry Rydberg Award for environmental activism. Read about a judgment against Chevron and other recent cases at charlietebbutt.com 8 APRIL 12, 2012 EUGENE WEEKLY LIGHTEN UP It is rumored that after Justice Scalia suggested a government which can require you to buy health insurance can also force you to buy broccoli, Fox News offered him a job as a news commentator. BY R A FA E L A L DAV E WWW.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM • BLOGS.EUGENEWEEKLY.COM
