MINORITY REPORTInteresting article on Ayanna Pressley ("Elvis Is Queen," Talking Politics, August 12)! I have several thoughts about it. First, the use of the term "minority" is outdated and now a bit offensive. A progressive publication like the Phoenix knows by now that people of color in Boston (across groups) are fast becoming — if they aren't already — the majority. I understand the editorial use of the term in the context of representation in the political arena. Fine, I guess, but still offensive and inaccurate. It comes across as an effort by well-intentioned whites to remind people of color of their "proper" place.
Secondly, the article draws attention to "perceptions at play for a minority woman candidate" of which Pressley is also aware, but does not clarify what these "perceptions" are. Why the subtlety? Don't waste ink. Name it as what it is. Pressley is an African-American woman in a city where local African-American political leaders have been maligned and criminalized. It might be the Chuck Turner and Dianne Wilkerson effect. And Boston is just plain racist when it comes truly respecting black leadership.
TRINA JACKSON
JAMAICA PLAIN
EMPTY CAPSULES
I have relied on the Boston Phoenix as my primary source of information about movies in the Boston area for decades, just about since I arrived in Boston. I find your critics and criticism thoughtful and well reasoned. They are most often the closest to my taste of the reviews in any of the city's publications and I rely on them. I am very disappointed that the Phoenix has stopped printing many of its capsule reviews and instead refers readers online, which is cumbersome and inconvenient to say the least. I strongly request that you again print these helpful little gems to assist in the selection of films when the time comes to get out of the house and to the movie house.
BRANT BLUMSTEIN
SOMERVILLE
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