On the Verge of Dating White Girls

Mayor Ray Nagin

The mouth that roared racist nonesense

Following Kanye Wests outburst on television during a Red Cross telethon to raise money for the Hurricane Katrina victims, it was plain to see from the reaction of his fellow volunteers that he had stepped, perhaps, too far over the line.  Kanye is to be forgiven for his lack of polish and sophistication in politics, but, big but, should we hold Kanye culpable for not caring more about the fallout of his statements, and how it would affect African Americans in general.  I watched as he stared frozen, cold and perhaps a bit afraid. Staring into the camera like a deer caught in headlights. I thought, "This is not the Kanye I am comfortable with, but I hope he can represent." And then boom, he throws the bomb.  Now I can't fault him for his anger, or his interpretation of the events that unfolded following Katrina.  It did appear that the entire country had turned it's back on New Orleans.  New Orleans before the hurricane was sixty five percent black.  It was easy enough to believe or to be made to believe that the black people of New Orleans had been abandoned and not just New Orleans the city...

The Color Thing

What is Inter-racial love? Is it a careless indulgence?

High school, and a burgeoning adolescence confused me.  No one warns you that you must protect more than your budding body from horny young boys,  but also that you must be prudent in whom you love.

I am not a racist, nor am I against inter-racial relationships. But I have seen the fall-out of how they can hurt people.

I mentioned high school only because it was at this juncture that I began to notice that white boys were not effeminate and standoffish.  I hung out with a mixed clutch of girls who were for the lack of a better word; sports groupies.  Yes, we loved the football team, the baseball team, and the basketball team.  The teams were very mixed racially and white players played side by side with black players.  The bond was so strong these guys even hung out outside school.  We the groupies, average looking, and probably nerdy to boot, could only dream about these guys.  Well it wasn't long before those little girl dreams turned into a strange reality...

DNA can set you free!

Discovering our roots beyond slavery

It was some years back that I sent my buccle swab (cheek scrapping) to Familytreedna.com for them to process.  My journey to discover my "deep ancestral" roots was beginning.  Like many of us I had always been curious if the stories my family told about our racial make-up was true.

I could see with my eyes that clearly we were "mixed" as all Americans of African descent are, but no one could tell me exactly what that mix was.  There was conjecture that it was American Indian.  Black people in this country have always believed that they were mixed with American Indian when in fact it isn't true at all.   When I got the results of the DNA tests my reaction was very strange indeed.  Instead of being elated, I felt I was just handed a bomb shell...

Women and Modesty

What Islam can teach us

Another day at the bus stop and another array of scantily clad women, and questionable choices in make-up and hair-dos.  I shake my head.

I walk further down the street and notice a cluster of Moslem women in Hijab (scarf) and I smile.  I smile because not only are they dressed in a way that honors their faith, they are dressing in a way that honors them. Now I will probably get my share of naysayers in the crowd but I see this as refreshing and a pleasant departure of the flagrant slide into semi whoredom of some women.  Let me preface this by saying how you dress is a choice and it says something about "you".  There should be some freedom in selection of course.  However the line must be drawn somewhere and who is drawing it?...

What's Up With Our Hair???

Mother Nature's Best Work "African Hair!" A Scientific Discussion

Let's start with science. Mother nature did us a big favor in the hair department. She gave us the hair that best worked with the hot humid and sometimes arrid climate of Africa. The hair shaft is not straight but eliptical. A curved and spoonish hair strand. Caucasians have a variety of hair textures that vary from as curly as African hair to as straight as Asian hair. Typical Asian hair is straight even under a microscope and doesn't vary much in pigment.

Our hair texture was a source of protection.  Here's why....

Is Dating Destroying Black Relationships?

What is Dating Really?
As I approach another year of singledom I watch with some jealousy as people pair up and head off into romantic bliss.  Or maybe it just appears so.

I have friends from probably every ethnicity in the world. And being the curious sort I always have a number of questions about culture and how things are done in other places.  One thing that stands out, no matter if it is India, Africa, or the Middle East; Dating is practically unheard of, and is frowned upon.  Now I would be the first to assert my freedom of choice in everything from shoes to men.  But perhaps that is the problem, do we pick our partners like we pick shoes?...

Aunt Jemima or Entreprenuer

Queen Latifah: The New Aunt Jemima?

I was puzzled frankly when Queen Latifah did the movie  "Bringing Down the House"with Steve Martin.  She pulled every stereotype of a black woman possible in the movie. She was loud, big and ghetto.  Instead of feeling happy that she had--and is getting--plenty movie roles I was left wondering, "okay but at what cost?"

  She has done one movie after another, Shampoo excluded, where she takes on roles that are flagrantly racist, and are outright black woman bashing on the sotto vocce.  Like many I loved her style, her presence and voice.  She had a dignity about her that I loved.  I can even enjoy her Covergirl ads though for obvious reasons, she is not the perfect covergirl and doesn't fit that role at all. But "Hollow Wood" is not listening to our need to pick our own representations...

Racism; A Pandemic

Wouldn't you like to weigh in?

I frequent the web sites of almost all countries because I am curious what they are thinking and doing.  I get the most information from blogs of course and uncensored discussion.  It really is an eye opener to find yourself on the Australian pages and see that they are struggling with racism and rioting that is racially and religiously based?

Then I go to a Hong Kong page and see that they are discussing how HongKongers (Ethnic Chinese) are so incredibly racist and rude against other ethnicities that live in their country. 

My Aint Tiny

A Black Woman that Strutted her Stuff...

My aunt Tiny was a small brown skinned woman. She loved music, especially Billy Holidy. Tiny was a quiet woman, a good cook.  Tiny was known for carrying an ice pick.  Her weapon of choice, kept slid down against her thigh in the top of her stockings.  Tiny was known to ice pick boyfriends when they got out of hand. 

My mother told me that back in the thirties on the south side of Chicago there was a man raping women.  It got so, women were afraid to leave their houses to go to work, or shop.  Children wouldn't play on the front stoops.  The police did not get involved if black women were victims.  And so the rapist continued on his spree.  As my mother tells it, Aunt Tiny decided one day she had enough...

On the Verge of Dating Anybody

These Ethnic Men from Other places...........
words by SatisfiedSistah

Ladies I am sure you can agree that occasionally the thought comes; Should I? Should I not? He looks good, he smells good, he speaks real good english, educated and damn he can dance after all.

And a brother hasn't asked me out since, well, it's been along time. Okay so alot of them drive taxis and work at the convenience store that's okay, this is not him.  He works with me...