Nothing Funny About a "Gangsta Christmas"
Does a Gangsta Christmas Party Say More About the "Hood" or the "Suburb"?
Story By Kyra Brown

Does the cone mean that the hood should be avoided? Or is it approached
with caution? How creative to put "fake money" and "handcuffs" all over the
tree. But wait! Where are the roaches? Rats? And let's not forget food
stamps on the tree in the place of money!

I went to a Christmas party at my school, Bethany University, (Santa Cruz, CA) about four weeks ago and was appalled at what I saw. To my left a sign read "Breaking News! Santa shot in Drive-by! He was shot by a rival gang." On the ground was a tape-made silhouette of Santa with a gun beside him, all behind caution tape that read Do Not Enter. There was rap music playing in the background, presents under the Christmas tree had been "stolen" and the tree adorned with handcuffs for ornaments. The "family portrait" on the wall had mug-shots of all the women who lived in the hall, each wore red bandanas, sagging pants, "grills" made from foil, some drew tear drops on their faces.

BEWARE of IGNORANCE maybe?

Since when are drive-bys humorous as if "rival gangs" that wear "colors"
don't exist today?

At the party, I posed two questions: 1) Is this a depiction of the "hood" or the suburbs? 2) If it is the hood is there anything positive being depicted? Neither of these questions was answered to my satisfaction, if answered at all. I wrote them on the board hoping that someone might engage
in dialogue about the conflict on display but my questions were erased. This hall called themselves replicating the "hood." The depiction itself was done in poor taste because it was disgusting caricature of people often from low socio-economic backgrounds. The party decorations were extremely stereotypical and sadly, nothing positive was shown.

There was nothing humorous about a "Gangsta Christmas." I am not sure what their display set out to accomplish. There is nothing humorous about having family members spend time in jail. There is nothing humorous about having high-school friends killed in drive-bys, or middle school friends murdered by gang warfare. I wonder if the women who threw this party are aware of why the ghetto exists. It seems that they depicted something that is far from their own realities. Perhaps their venturing outside of their world of privileged suburbia--physically and psychologically will expand their knowledge of the world at large. In the words of Frederick Douglas, "If there is no struggle there is no progress." We must be life-long learners as well as teachers! Activism is not a spectator sport! There is work to be done!