Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Just A Slice of this American (Meltingpot) Life

Today I went to a radio station here in Philadelphia for yet another interview about Black hair. (Yes, there really is that much to talk about.) I knew the station had an urban audience, played R&B and hip-hop music and generally kept an urban focus for their talk-radio. My publicist scheduled the interview so I really didn't know much more than the basics and assumed the radio hostess would be a Black woman.

But she wasn't. At first glance, I assumed she was Asian, but since I was mostly chasing her down a long hallway to the recording studio I didn't really get to study her features. Well, as soon as she sat down, we started to talk a bit before the interview and she told me she was actually Black and Japanese. Dad was Black (now deceased) and Mom is Japanese. So of course she had some great hair stories of her own to tell. But that wasn't the best part.

After the interview we kept chatting and I mentioned that my husband is from Spain and she kind of chuckled. "As a matter of fact," she said, "my son is adopted and both of his parents are from Spain but he was born in Newark, New Jersey." You heard me. What are the chances people? Meltingpot mama herself being interviewed by a woman who is Black and Japanese, raising her Spanish son in Philly? Did I mention her significant other is Puerto Rican? It just makes me smile. I love my American Meltingpot.

Peace.

p.s. I'll post the interview when it airs next month.

4 comments:

Dee said...

Talk about deja vu! You always seem to be in the right place at the right time! I wish I were in your shoes! Your life is way more exciting than my humdrum existence! C'est la vie!

JennyBHammond said...

Love it! "Woot" for mixed Japanese women:-)

Can I search the Radio Times interview as well? That's fabulous!

Lisa MB said...

That's so awesome. And the host sounds like a great person to talk to off-air as well. Don't you just wish your whole neighborhood was full of people like her?

Professor Tharps said...

Yvonne,

Yes indeed,

Dee,
Everybody's life is exciting. Really. And besides, exciting isn't always fun.

JBH,
You should be able to find the interview on the Radio Time site. Let me know if you have a problem.

Blogging Queen,
I completely agree.