Obama Stopped in Ireland to Pay Homage to his Roots

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Don't you just love stories about Black and Irish relations? You know our roots go deep. Well, now they're going to go even deeper because as part of his brief European tour, the president stopped in the small town of Moneygall where his great, great, great grandfather was born and where he still has relatives. Here's a story from USA Today about the visit and here's a link to a video that shows the preparations and blatant adoration the townspeople of Moneygall have for our president. Yeah, Obama!

So, Meltingpot readers, do any of you have a Black/Irish story to share? I'm listening.

Peace.

May is Mixed Experience History Month!

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Despite how you feel about Black history month (February), Hispanic Heritage Month (October-ish) or any other race specific memorial month, I think it's uber important to recognize Mixed Experience History month? Why? Because for so many people the idea of a Mixed-Race identity is foreign at best, or non-existant at worst. Many people believe there is no culture or community of Mixed-Race people, that the Mixed-Race experience can simply be lumped together with other 'colored' folk.

I can honestly admit that until I had my own mixie kids AND began to plug into the Mixed-Race community, I thought the same way. I just assumed because my kids had brown skin, their experience in this world would mirror my own. But it doesn't. Not exactly. My boys know they are the sum of two very distinct parts. They see it every day. They want to know about others like them. They need to know the history and culture of both of their parents' disparate backgrounds. And of course they need to know two languages to successfully navigate those two cultures and to belong. It's not the same. There is a beauty and a power in being able to lay claim to two different cultures and it truly does make for a unique outlook on life.

Heidi Durrow, the author of the New York Times bestseller, The Girl Who Fell from the Sky and co-founder of the Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival is the one who started Mixed Experience History Month. In her own words, here's why:

" Mixed Experience History Month is my effort to counteract the idea that our society has only become truly multiracial in the Obama age. Truth is, it's been going on forever--the stories have just been silenced."

On her website, Durrow posts a new profile every day in May about a different Mixie. It's great reading and very illuminating.

If you'd like to do your own "celebrating" of the Mixed-Race experience, consider reading some of the following books.

Caucasia: A Novel by Danzy Senna

Danzy Senna's memoir about her biracial family: Where Did You Sleep Last Night?

The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi Durrow

Passing by Nella Larsen

The Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson

The Color of Water by James McBride

What books would you add to this list? I'm listening.

Peace!

Burning Questions from the Meltingpot

It's the end of the week and I have so many questions swirling through my mind. First and foremost:

1. Is everyone else feeling a renewed sense of hope and possibility with the announcement that President Barack Obama won the Nobel Peace Prize this morning? And at the same time, are you wishing that all of the people who feel compelled to whine and complain that he doesn't deserve it, would just shut up already?

2. Does anyone else not really care all that much that Mattel has released a new set of Black Barbies and in fact wonders what all the hoopla is about considering there have been Black Barbies on the market since the 1960s? But at the same time, wishes that if they were going to update Black Barbie, they wouldn't have named her Trichelle?

3. Is anyone else out there thinking that right now, Jon Gosselin is like the most photographed Asian-American man right now, and yet the Asian community doesn't seem to embrace him? Why is that? Or am I wrong? Does Jon Gosselin have any kind of Asian fan base? Do Asian-Americans even claim him? Does the rest of America even view him through a racial lens? Or is he just the dad of multiples from TLC?

4. How many people are going to see Chris Rock's new movie, Good Hair, which opens this weekend? I've already seen it and had mixed opinions.

5. Did anybody else hear about the TV show in Australia where White actors performed a comedy skit called The Jackson Jive in blackface and find themselves secretly saying, I knew Australia had issues with Black people, but this just proves it? And even though there have been several public apologies by the show's producer who invited the buffoons on the program,and even though you know you shouldn't judge an entire country by one stupid act, do you still feel like that flight to Australia might not be worth it? I'm just wondering?

Obama in Egypt

I don't have anything to say today, because Obama said it better.

These were the last lines from his speech in Egypt.

"The Holy Koran tells us, "O mankind! We have created you male and a female; and we have made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another."

The Talmud tells us: "The whole of the Torah is for the purpose of promoting peace."

The Holy Bible tells us, "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God."

The people of the world can live together in peace. We know that is God's vision. Now, that must be our work here on Earth. Thank you. And may God's peace be upon you."

I (heart) you POTUS. If you'd like to read the entire speech, you can do so, here.

Peace be upon all of you Meltingpot Readers.

Happy Weekend.

Because She is Puerto Rican?

Yesterday, President Obama made an historic decision when he nominated/appointed Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court. Why? Because she is a woman and she will be the first Hispanic to ever serve on the Supreme Court.

Once again, Barack Obama has impressed me with his infinite wisdom and ability to show that diversity doesn't mean affirmative action or quotas, it means finding the best person for the job and not overlooking people of color who fit that description. If Sotomayor secures her nomination, than the Supreme Court will actually begin to look like a true representation of the United States population.

That being said, isn't it kind of irksome how the media seems to latch on to Sotomayor's humble beginnings as if that makes her some kind of special or perhaps because that's the only definition of a Puerto Rican that mainstream America understands. How many times have we heard that she was raised in the projects in the Bronx only to rise up and graduate from both Princeton and Yale? Or that she was raised by a single mother? My question is, what does any of that have to do with her ability to interpret the law? If Sotomayor were a White man, would anybody be broadcasting where he grew up and how much money his parents had and whether or not his parents were divorced? I'm guessing no. At least not in the first days of the announcement. That might come out later in the quickie bio.

The political organization, MoveOn.org sent me this list of Sotomayor's achievements today:

Ten Things To Know About Judge Sonia Sotomayor

1. Judge Sotomayor would bring more federal judicial experience to the bench than any Supreme Court justice in 100 years. Over her three-decade career, she has served in a wide variety of legal roles, including as a prosecutor, litigator, and judge.

2. Judge Sotomayor is a trailblazer. She was the first Latina to serve on the Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit and was the youngest member of the court when appointed to the District Court for the Southern District of New York. If confirmed, she will be the first Hispanic to sit on the U.S. Supreme Court.

3. While on the bench, Judge Sotomayor has consistently protected the rights of working Americans, ruling in favor of health benefits and fair wages for workers in several cases.

4. Judge Sotomayor has shown strong support for First Amendment rights, including in cases of religious expression and the rights to assembly and free speech.

5. Judge Sotomayor has a strong record on civil rights cases, ruling for plaintiffs who had been discriminated against based on disability, sex and race.

6. Judge Sotomayor embodies the American dream. Born to Puerto Rican parents, she grew up in a South Bronx housing project and was raised from age nine by a single mother, excelling in school and working her way to graduate summa cum laude from Princeton University and to become an editor of the Law Journal at Yale Law School.

7. In 1995, Judge Sotomayor "saved baseball" when she stopped the owners from illegally changing their bargaining agreement with the players, thereby ending the longest professional sports walk-out in history.

8. Judge Sotomayor ruled in favor of the environment and against business interests in 2007 in a case of protecting aquatic life in the vicinity of power plants, a decision that was overturned by the Roberts Supreme Court.

9. In 1992, Judge Sotomayor was confirmed by the Senate without opposition after being appointed to the bench by George H.W. Bush.

10. Judge Sotomayor is a widely respected legal figure, having been described as "...an outstanding colleague with a keen legal mind," "highly qualified for any position in which wisdom, intelligence, collegiality and good character would be assets," and "a role model of aspiration, discipline, commitment, intellectual prowess and integrity."

Besides her impressive college record, is the rest of item #6 relevant in her ability to serve as a Supreme Court Judge? Is it because she is Puerto Rican? What do you think? I'm listening.

Peace