"Not the Nanny" Syndrome Doesn't Discriminate

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Recently, a lovely journalist from TODAY Moms interviewed me about what I call the "Not the nanny" syndrome. You know, that irritating situation when people mistake you for your child's caregiver because you might be of color and your baby looks kind of White? I know it happens all the time to Black girls like me who procreated across the color line and managed to spit out babies lacking in melanin. But it also happens to Latina women, Asian women and even White women.

I met a White woman recently who was married to a Filipino man. Her two children look more Asian than White. She told me that, while breast feeding, someone  asked her if she was the nanny?! So, my dear readers, apparently the syndrome doesn't discriminate.

Get a group of women together who have children that don't look like them and we can tell all kinds of hilarious stories, besting one another with the more outrageous comments people have thrown our way. And truth be told, sometimes they are funny. But a lot of times, those comments hurt. They hurt in a way I never expected. It's not because I feel so insulted to be mistaken for a nanny. And it's not even because I think people are being small-minded or insensitive by questioning my child's parentage. At the end of the day, it hurts because there's something visceral, I think, about wanting to see something of yourself in your offspring. It's that simple and that complicated.

I have never been told, 'gee your kids look just like you.' And it's not something I ever dreamed about hearing either. I'd rather hear, 'gee your kids sure are smart/talented/healthy.' But to be told over and over, your kids look nothing like you? Aye, there's the rub. What's more, I think that for women of color to be mistaken for the nanny, the underlying insult comes not from being mistaken for a domestic worker, but for not be respected enough to be mistaken for the mother. Ya dig?

Let's be clear though. The "I'm Not the Nanny"syndrome doesn't keep me up at night. I don't wring my hands in agony over the injustice of my kids looking more like their pale-face papa than me. In fact, until someone throws it in my face, I'm not thinking about it all. It's just another one of those fascinating Meltingpot moments that I think so many of us can relate to and perhaps help each other through.

What do you think? Is there more to the Not the Nanny syndrome? Is it something more people should be aware of? Is there a cure?

I'm listening.

Peace!

"Who's an American Indian?"

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

Happy Memorial Day!

I was going to take the day off from writing today, since it is a national holiday, but then I came across this article penned by Jesse Washington of the Associate Press. The article is titled, "Who's an American Indian?" and it examines the claim by senate candidate Elizabeth Warren that she is part Native American.

It's a fascinating story that touches on the pervasive myth that we all have a Native American ancestor lurking in the branches of our family trees. I know for Black people, that mythical Indian ancestor is always linked to the relative with the 'good hair.' Like, "She has good hair because our great-grandmother was part Cherokee." Sometimes 'good hair' is just referred to, in the Black community, as "Indian hair."

But I digress. Elizabeth Warren is very much a White woman, so she's not interested in 'good hair.' Some people allege she's claiming Native ancestry to gain campaign votes. Read the story and see for yourself. I think a critical point that Washington makes in the report is that there is a difference between claiming Native ancestry (which many people may have) and calling yourself a Native American because your great-great-great grandmother on your daddy's side, was part Cherokee.

What do you think, dear readers? Should Warren have kept her mouth shut about her heritage? Do you think if you're going to claim Native ancestry you should have to do something to prove your allegiance to the tribe? I'm totally listening.

Peace!

May is Mixed Experience History Month!

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

My goodness, May is more than half over and I have yet to direct your attention over to Heidi Durrow's Light Skinned-ed Girl blog, where as always, she is celebrating Mixed Experience History Month by profiling a famous Mixed-Race person every single day during the month of May. It's a pretty ambitious project and yet Durrow always manages to find new and interesting Mixies of note to highlight. I always learn something new from her research, like for example, the great Black female aviator, Bessie Coleman's father was mixed, African-American and Cherokee.

I am really impressed and happy that Durrow founded Mixed Experience History Month, way back in 2007. She has opened my eyes to the fact that the Mixed Experience is a unique one and an important one to recognize and celebrate the world over.

Just for fun and to read more about Durrow and her own Mixed experience as an Afro-Viking, check out this Q&A with Durrow that ran in The New Yorker. And if you feel like sharing, who's your favorite Mixie historical figure? Mine? That's easy. Right now, I'm all about, Juan de Pareja, the biracial slave of the Spanish painter, Velazquez. According to legend, Pareja secretly taught himself to paint and his work now hangs in the Prado museum in Madrid. There are many myths about Juan de Pareja, including a YA novel based on his life story. What seems clear is that his mother was Black (African) and his father was Spanish. To read more about him, check out this link.

Okay, your turn.

I'm listening.

Peace!

Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

If you live in the Los Angeles area or can get there without a lot of trouble, then you simple must make it to this year's Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival, June 15- 17, 2012. The films, readings and family activities are going to be awesome. Some of my favorite writers, Mat Johnson and Faith Adiele, are going to be there. And the Hi-larious comics Key & Peele will be performing. But don't take my word for it. Check out the schedule and try not to drool over the fabulous offerings. And yes, it's all free!

I'd love to be there, but won't be able to make it this year. Somebody, please tell me you're going.

Peace!

A New Parenting Magazine for Multi-Culti Families Like Mine and Yours

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Sometimes I'm just amazed at the resources out there for people like me. You know, Black women married to Spanish men, raising bilingual, bicultural kids. You know, professional women interested in advancing the conversation about race and identity. You know, moms who sometimes just like to watch Fashion Star on TV and dream about having the time to actually care about the clothes they throw on every morning. Clothes that they know will be covered in kid slime by the end of the day.

So, yes, dear readers, when I come across some of these glorious resources, I have to share, because I figure, some of you must be like me.


I have to give a shout-out to InCulture Parent. If I was going to start a parenting magazine, this would be it. From their website, here's what they are all about:

An online magazine for parents raising little global citizens, whose mission is to foster great understanding across cultures through the lens of parenting.  Articles on raising multicultural and multilingual children, parenting around the world, columns on the religious life of children, international adoption and multicultural living, blogs, global holidays/crafts/recipes, multicultural children’s book reviews and much more.



I stayed up last night, way past my bedtime and read almost every story on the site. I wanted to chat with almost every single contributing writer and I was inspired and encouraged by many. To wit, after reading a great story about why African babies cry less than "Western" babies, I decided not to despair about letting babygirl sleep with me last night. She generally sleeps with me for a short period, then I try to slip her back into her bed so she doesn't get spoiled nestling next to mommy. Needless to say, night time isn't very restful for anybody.


But last night, I decided to go all the way African, indulge babygirl and let her nurse and nestle at will. And guess what, without me worrying about getting her back to bed, we both slept like angels. (El esposo did too, but he can sleep through a hurricane so, that's not saying much.) It felt good and guilt free. And, maybe I'm overreaching (which I probably am, considering the author was Kenyan, which I am not.), but I felt culturally correct in my choices. You know, justified.


So, dear readers, check out InCulture Parent and give them some love. I've already added them to my blogroll over there on the side. You might want to as well.


So, party people, do you have any resources for mommies like us that you'd like to share? Please don't keep them to yourselves. We are all listening.


Peace!

Don't forget, you have one more day to comment, in order to win a copy of Julia Alvarez's new book, A Wedding in Haiti.

It's Hot Outside. How About A T-Shirt That Says Something About You?

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I live in Philadelphia. It's April. It should be about 60 degrees outside, but instead we're heading for a sweltering 90 degrees today. Babygirl was scheduled to show up for Show & Tell at my sons' school today and I had to dig deep to find a t-shirt for her. And for me too. Two days ago, I was looking for warm pajamas for her, today I'm hunting down sun hats and sunscreen.

Well, just in case, dear readers, you too are looking for a t-shirt to wear and you want to spend some cash on a new shirt that will not only keep you cool, but will have you looking cool too, please remember that one of my many side gigs is running whatrugear.com, a t-shirt company for people who want to wear their identity in style. Due to some administrative oversight (um, I forgot to pay a bill) our web address has changed slightly. You can now find us at www.whatrugear.squarespace.com. Please spread the word.

And as always, give us your ideas for new t-shirt slogans you'd like to see.

I'm listening and taking notes.

Peace!

Third Culture Kids: Neither Here Nor There

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Thanks to an announcement from the folks at Loving Day, I heard about this film about Third-Culture Kids. I'd never heard this term before, but it refers to people who grow up in a country/culture that is not their home country. The short documentary is appropriately titled, Neither Here Nor There. Here's a description of the film:

"Neither Here Nor There" is a 35 minute documentary that explores cultural identity for people who have grown up in places other than their home culture, known as Third Culture Kids. Through the stories of six subjects, the film investigates the often overlooked effects on adults who had international upbringings, their struggles to fit in and an eternal search to belong. 

Check out the trailer.



It kind of makes you think, right? Are you a Third Culture Kid? What do you think the rest of us don't know about your experience?

I'm listening.

Peace!

Is That Your Child?: The Asian Perspective

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I'm on the road today. I'm traveling to Boston to give a talk at Simmons College on Identity Politics. I'm really excited about it, but of course have no time to write.

But then, in doing the research for my talk, stumbled on this post, that I could have written myself. You know, the one about your child not looking like you because you married and procreated with a White guy, except the writer is Asian, not Black.

So, without further ado, check out this post from Hyphen Magazine about the pitfalls of mixie parenthood with Asian mom and White dad. Enjoy.

Happy Weekend.

Peace.

FlashBack Friday: The One About Black People Adopting White Children

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Here's another popular post I penned, that I continue to get comments on three years later. It's the one about Black people adopting White children. It doesn't happen a lot, but when it does, people notice.

I've been most impressed with the comments where people have come forward to say that when a person is in need of a family, it doesn't matter what color that family is. Sometimes that sounds naive, but coming from people who have been in the world without a place to call home, I trust their opinions. And I appreciate them sharing their stories here on the Meltingpot.

Take another look and leave a comment there or here. And if you want to read more about the trend, here's a fairly recent story from the Griot.com on Black people adopting White children.

Peace!

Repeat Wednesday: The One about the One-Drop Rule and Lice

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

It's Spring Break at my college, but I'm not on vacation. I have so much work to complete in this one week and wouldn't you know, babygirl decides to come down with her very first cold yesterday. Murphy's Law wins again. So, rather than leave you without some food for thought from the Meltingpot, I thought I'd resurrect some of my most popular posts. The ones that people are still commenting on.

So, remember when I asked if head lice respected the one-drop rule? I wanted to know if my mixie kids would be immune to lice, since everybody knows, Black people don't get lice. After writing this post, more than three years ago, many people - both Black and White -- have written in to tell me that, not only did their mixie kids get the cooties, but they did too. Yikes! So, I am afraid, very afraid, because I swear, every other day, we get a note home that yet another child in the second grade has lice.

Feel free to comment here, if you have your own meltingpot lice stories to share. Or go back and add to the original post.

Peace and Extra Hair Grease!

Calling All Mixie Artists

Happy Friday Meltingpot Readers,

Any regular readers of this blog know I am a huge fan of the Mixed Roots Film and Literary Festival. Born five years ago, it is an amazing festival that celebrates the mixed race experience --from all angles - through literature and film. I was fortunate enough to be at the first festival and hope to be able to attend this year.

To be honest, before attending the Mixed Roots Festival, I never thought there was a unique mixed - race experience. I still saw the world in Black and White, despite the fact that I had brown children! And even then I didn't think I, as a Black woman, had a place in that experience. Somebody had to point it out to me that because my children are mixed, then I am part of the experience. So, yes, I need to be aware of what it means to be mixed. Yes,I want to know how to celebrate my children's two unique cultures in a way that makes them feel whole. And as a writer who is interested in race and identity, the mixed experience fascinates me.

The festival takes place June 16 & 17 in Los Angeles. It's totally free and offers programing appropriate for the whole family. Did I mention it's free?. Right now there's an open call for workshop, literature and film submissions. So, if you have a book or film that you'd like to screen to an amazing audience, send in your stuff. I am.

Peace!

Asians Passing for White

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

My friend Jesse Washington, recently penned an interesting article for the Associated Press on a fairly recent trend of Asian students trying to "hide" their Asian heritage when applying to college. Although most colleges would deny it, there seems to be a higher threshold Asian applicants have to meet in regards to their grade point average and SAT scores. Since Asian students in general out perform Whites, Blacks, Latinos and Native Americans on tests and in grades, in order for colleges not to have a disproportionate number of Asians in their classes, they make it harder for them to get in. Or at least that seems to be the case. Most schools don't want to go on the record saying this is true. But students, parents and high school guidance counselors seem to think it is and thus this new trend.

So, how does one hide the fact that they are Asian? Well, a person can not check the "race box" on the application, but an Asian surname pretty much ruins that trick. So, who is really playing the race game here? It's the kids who only have one Asian parent. The Asian mixies. The Hapas, if you will. The ones who can "pass for White," as did the handful of kids interviewed in the story.

On the one hand, I feel for any kid who is discriminated against because of his ethnic background. Especially if that discrimination comes from über achievement! How does that feel? 'Uh, We're sorry but you and your people are just too smart. We don't want you here at our institution of higher learning.' (sigh)

But on the other hand, the meltingpot in me chafes at the idea that these kids are passing for White. And my discomfort with it has nothing to do with college admissions. Any time a person feels the need to cover up/hide/deny the colored part of their heritage in order to get ahead, is a tragedy. I don't have any solutions to offer these kids in this horrible predicament, but I know for a fact that lying about who you are can never lead to good things.

So Meltingpot readers, what do you think Asian kids should do when facing discrimination in the admissions process? What do you think our colleges and universities should do to address the problem? And, should a kid with only one Asian parent, be placed in the same category of Asian as the kid with two? Isn't this tricky?

I'm totally listening.

Peace!

My Beef with Bridesmaids

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday. I did. We ate, a lot. We laughed and talked and just enjoyed being with family. And then we came home, put the kids to bed and watched a movie. My parents have cable so we had a wide selection of films to choose from. Seven of us were watching and the consensus was to see the film Bridesmaids.

Trust me in that I wasn't expecting anything revolutionary or even that spectacular. I just expected a good laugh. And people, I laughed. A lot. There were some really hilarious one-liners and physical comedy. The story line was quite predictable but it was about as intricate as my food-addled brain could handle last night.

But here's the problem I did have. Here's what pissed me off. The bride in Bridesmaids was played by Maya Rudolph. Maya Rudolph is mixed, some might just call her Black, because her mother --who happens to be the singer, Minnie Ripperton -- was Black. In the movie, they made her father Black. He appeared in the film in two brief scenes, other than that, this was the whitest movie ever. In other words, the movie's conceit was that here you have this Mixed chick with a dreadlocked Black father, yet all of her friends and even her fiance are White. Not a single bridesmaid is Black. That means she has no Black friends. Ok, that's possible. But that would mean she also had no Black family. Maybe her father was an orphan?

So, we can put Maya Rudolph in a movie, but we're going to pretend that her cinnamon brown skin is irrelevant. Why, Hollywood? Black actresses can't even play second-string bridesmaids? I am pulling out my hair as I write this. And this isn't about affirmative-action casting. I'm not saying that every movie should have Black people in it. If this was a movie about a White bride, I wouldn't be saying, she SHOULD have at least one Black friend. But this film featured a Black bride --granted she was from Milwaukee. Statistically speaking, there would more than likely be at least one colored girl in the mix.

Am I crazy? Someone talk me down here.

In the meantime, enjoy this clip from Maya's mom, Minne Ripperton.



Peace!

Mixed Messages: Life in a Multiracial Family

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Everybody and their mother sent me a link to this story in the New York Times about the continuing struggles with acceptance and racism experienced by multiracial families. The stares. The hostility. The questions. Yep, it all comes with the territory.

Coincidentally, the other day, babygirl and I were at the local dollar store, buying paper towel for a dollar, when the chatty cashier leaned over to peek at babygirl. Ms. Chatty Cathy was Black, by the way. So, she leans over, looks at babygirl and exclaims, "Oh, isn't she as White as snow." It felt more like an accusation than a random comment and I didn't have a response for her. And I didn't really have time to respond because the other cashier quickly ran over to exclaim how beautiful babygirl was. But first she asked, "Is she yours?" I simply smiled and said, yes, the little Snow White baby is mine.

And I left that store and reflected on the incident for exactly one minute. And then I didn't think about it again. I'm so used to the comments, the questions, and the stares after three babies that came out all pale faced and straight haired. But I did pause last night to wonder what it would feel like to have a baby that looked something like me. At least one that had enough melanin that our biological connection would not be questioned. I've never had that experience.

But unlike the family in the Times, I think because I was born Black and grew up in a very White environment where I stood out like Cocoa Puff in a box of Kixx, I'm used to being stared at, questioned, and misunderstood. I'm not saying I like it, I'm just used to it. And my guess is, for White Americans who enter into interracial relationships, it must be shocking to have those multiculti moments thrust upon you after walking incognito through the world. Hmmm...

What do you think dear readers? Do you and/or you and your family get stared at, questioned or even attacked for crossing the color line? Do you care? How do you respond?

I'm listening.

Peace.

What I'm Reading Now: Stories in Living Color

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

You all know I regularly post book reviews here on the Meltingpot, but the truth of the matter is, I read far more than I have time to review. In fact, I read so much, I consider myself a book addict. When I finish one book, if I don't have a new book to dive into, I'm like a crackhead and start to get the shakes. Sometimes I can stave off withdrawal symptoms with a good magazine article, but that will only hold me for a short period of time.

Because I know many of you appreciate recommendations for good books, I thought I'd share with you what books I've gobbled up...I mean, read lately. And these aren't just good books, these are Meltingpot books. In other words, I'm not really interested in reading a book about White people and their lives in a White world. Not that I don't find White people fascinating, but it seems their stories are everywhere. I want to use my reading time to find out how other people live. Even if it's fiction, I want to immerse myself in another culture, or see my own culture reflected in some way. I want to see different cultures engaging with one another. I want to see cultures colliding and coming together. Don't get me wrong, I don't discriminate in my literary choices. I think of it more like affirmative action. If I can find a book with at least one colored character, I'm choosing that one over the book with just White folks. But at the end of the day, a good book is a good book. I'll read anything by Ann Patchett, for example, whether she adds people of color in her books or not (interestingly she usually does but not always.)

So, without further ado, here's what I've read in the last two months, in addition to Conquistadora and The Taste of Salt, which I reviewed here on the site.

1.  You Are Free: Stories by Danzy Senna. I generally shy away from short stories, but I'd read a grocery list if Danzy Senna wrote it. She is one of my favorite authors who always tackles mixed-race identity in all of her work. You Are Free is no exception. The stories aren't explicitly about race, but almost every story in the collection features a mixed-race character grappling with an issue that seems to stem from their racial blend. It's deep stuff and kind of depressing. By the end of the book, I desperately wanted to know if Senna was intentionally playing with the 'tragic mulatto' stereotype or if she truly 'knew' these characters she had invented. I'd love to hear other people's reactions to You Are Free.

2.  Shanghai Girls by Lisa See. Lisa See has been in my literary rear view mirror for awhile. My mother's book club was reading one of her books. One of her books is now showing at a theater near me. The local Barnes & Noble had a display of her books on the front table. But I just wasn't that interested. But when my local Borders went out of business, I scooped up Shanghai Girls because it was on deep discount and I decided to finally find out what Lisa See could deliver. This book is about two young sisters who are living the high life in Shanghai right before the Japanese invasion. Their privileged world falls apart however, when their father admits he's gambled away their fortune. To save himself, he essentially sells his daughters to get out of debt. The two sisters, May and Pearl, are now wives to two awkward brothers who live in the United States and they go from upper-class Chinese, to downtrodden immigrant workers in California.

I can't say I loved this book, but it was definitely a page-turner that kept me entertained. I also learned a lot about Chinese culture and the Chinese immigrant experience in America. For that reason, I would recommend the book to every American because you will never eat at a Chinese restaurant or stroll through your local Chinatown with the same innocent eyes.

Now I'm reading a new memoir by the award-winning author and poet, Jackie Kay. Kay was adopted as an infant in her native Scotland. Her birth mother was Scottish, her father an academic from Nigeria. The book, Red Dust Road, is her story of tracking down her birth parents and examining her life growing up with her communist parents. Despite the seriousness of her endeavor, this book is hilarious. Considering Kay finds out her birth mother became a Mormon and her birth father became a Christian zealot, if she couldn't find the humor in her origins, she probably wouldn't be in such a positive place in her life today. I had the pleasure of meeting Kay a few years ago at a literary festival and she is a beautiful human being and full of laughter. When I finish the book, I'll give you a complete review. But if you want to beat me to it, order if for yourselves. The only thing is, my friend sent it to me from England where it was published. I'm not sure if it's available through US book stores yet.

So, what are you reading these days? I'm going to need my next fix soon.

I'm listening.

Peace!

"Is That Yo' Baby?" and a Giveaway Too

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

So, I was walking down the street in North Philadelphia the other day, pushing babygirl in her stroller. I was behind a group of four school-age Black girls and was enjoying myself eavesdropping on their adolescent chatter. I was also admiring their hair do's and wondering how girls so young paid for so much hair, but I digress.

So, eventually I had to pass the girls and as I did so they oohed and ahhed over the baby, but they were none too subtle with their reactions to her coloring.  "Why she look like that?" one girl asked. Another girl  quickly added, "You adopted her right?" And finally the smartest one in the bunch just came out and asked, "Is that yo' baby?" I smiled and answered, "Yes, she's mine. Her daddy is Spanish." And that pretty much finished the conversation. They were done with me. I will never see them again. But what I really wanted to say was, 'Jesus, Mary and Joseph, why would I adopt a White baby? And who would give me one anyway?'

But seriously, I'm not mad at those girls. They just voiced what I'm sure so many others wanted to say anyway. In fact, quite a few people haven't been able to hold their tongues and have thrown out the following comments:

My doctor said: "Oh my gosh, she doesn't look anything like you does she? I mean really. I can't be the only one who's told you that?" (Gee thanks and you have a medical degree?)

Random lady at the store: "Is that your baby? Oh, I mean of course she's yours why else would you be pushing her in a stroller?"(Oh, I don't know. Maybe I'm being paid to push her by her real mother.)

Several other well meaning folks: "She's so cute, but did your other kids have straight hair and skin so, um, fair? Isn't this strange?" (Actually, no. Both my kids were pale faces with jet black, straight hair at birth. But luckily they darkened up and their hair went rogue kinky, so I'm not worried about babygirl.)

Seriously, Meltingpot readers, none of these reactions are shocking to me, but they can get a bit wearisome. And every once in a while they make me sad, but that could be due to the fact that I still have an abundance of lady hormones that can make me cry during a baby food commercial. But at the end of the day, I just try to laugh it all off. In retrospect, these comments are terribly funny.

I bet some of you have some "funny" comments people have made about your families of different colors. Leave me your best of's in the comments section and I'll pick a random winner to receive one of my whatrugear.com t-shirts that says, "Same Family, Different Colors." You can specify if you want the kid or adult version. Drawing happens Monday morning before I post. So you have the weekend.

Okay, I'm listening. And by the way, if you want to listen to other people discuss this issue, you should tune into the podcast, Is That Your Child?

Peace!

The Kimchi Chronicles: From Seoul to Soul to Seoul

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Sorry I went missing. Sadly, I wasn't on some exotic vacation or enjoying the final days of summer on a local beach. Nope, I just couldn't tear myself away from the all-consuming task of caring for a newborn. I'm not complaining, just explaining. And saying thank you for continuing to visit the Meltingpot. Okay. Shall we move on?

So, not too long ago, I was channel surfing and stumbled across what appeared to be a travel/cooking show focused on the cuisine of Korea. I was immediately hooked because I love Korean food but also because the hosts of the show were not Korean, but rather an interracial couple of indeterminate origins. All I could ascertain by the brief clip I saw was that the woman was ambiguously brown and the 'white-ish' man had a European sounding accent. So of course as soon as the show went off I went into investigative mode.

As it turns out, I'd been watching The Kimchi Chronicles. Indeed it is a show that celebrates the cuisine of Korea. And while that is exciting, I find the backstory to the show far more fascinating, as I'm sure you all will too. So the host is Marja Vongerichten, wife of the famous chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten. But that's not what makes her special. Her life story is the stuff of meltingpot fairy tales. The daughter of a Korean mother and an African-American GI, she was orphaned at age three, adopted by an African-American family in the United States and then reunited with her birth mother as an adult. I'm not sure how much of her life history she's bringing into the show, but her husband and daughter make appearances on the Kimchi Chronicles (as do the actors Heather Graham and Hugh Jackman which I'm still struggling to understand why, but whatever.) Here's a clip from the show so you can see for yourself what I'm talking about. 



So, let me know what you think of the Kimchi Chronicles. I'm listening.


Peace.

The New SpaNegro SpiderMan!!!

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Sorry I missed you on Wednesday. But hopefully today's news will make up for the lapse. Did you hear that Marvel Comics will be unveiling a new Spider-Man in September? That Peter Parker, the original White boy who was bitten by a spider and has been fighting evil behind that red and blue mask since the 1960s, died in a recent comic episode? And that the new Spider-Man is none other than a Black/Latino mixie named Miles Morales from Brooklyn?

How cool is that dear readers? Finally a mainstream superhero gets to be colored. Finally, my very own Black/Hispanic sons will see a superhero that actually looks like them and shares their DNA. Kind of. Minus the spider part. I am so thrilled by this turn of events, I'm sure I'll start reading Spider-Man comics just to see how they play out Miles' ethnicity. I'm sure it won't be a major plot device in every episode, but the series creators admitted it was time for superheroes to reflect the cultural diversity of the people reading them. Finally! To read more about the new Spider-Man, check out this link.

What do you think? Is this a major milestone in comic book history? Will this change the way little children of color think of themselves? As potential superheroes? Will a mixie Spider-Man be the Princess Tianna of the under-12 boys set? I'm curious. And you know I'm listening.



Peace.

P.S. Mama Violet wins the copy of Substitute Me!!! Mama Violet, send me your mailing address to myamericanmeltingpot@gmail.com and you'll get a book in the mail. Congrats.

Black Woman + Spanish Man = Asian Baby?

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I swear to God I will stop writing about babies as soon as my brain returns to full functioning capabilities, but right now I'm working at like 50 percent capacity due to 'sleepus interruptus.' But I still wanted to show up here on the Meltingpot.

First, I wanted to say thank you to everyone for your kind words and congrats. I feel so blessed to have such fantastic, dedicated readers. Second, everyone who commented will be part of the drawing for the free book which will be announced on Friday.

And third, I just wanted to share the funny comments I've been getting about babygirl. And please note, I take no offense at any of them because well, most of them are true. You see, my daughter was born with a head full of shiny black hair and beautiful almond shaped eyes and she's the color of creamy butter. You see where this is heading, right? Everyone who sees her believes she looks Asian. From the nurses in the hospital to well-meaning friends and family I've heard, "She sure looks Chinese, doesn't she?" Some have decided that she doesn't look 'Chinese' exactly, but rather more like an Eskimo/Alaska Native. My mom keeps calling her our little papoose. One thing is for sure, she really doesn't look like anyone in the current Kinky Gazpacho family.

I think genetics are really fascinating. I know her hair will eventually curl ( I think) and her skin will most likely darken (probably) and her grey eyes will eventually turn brown (or green). And she will start to look more like 'our child' and less like this exquisite creature sprung forth from heaven. But it sure is a trip while we wait.

What about your kids? Did they look foreign or familiar when they were born? Is this a mixie phenomenon only? I'm curious so please share.

I'm listening (and trying not to fall asleep).

Peace.

Meltingpot Reads-- Mixie Marriages and The "Puerto Rican Gone With the Wind"

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I don't know if it's because it's hovering near 100 degrees or because I'm just too heavy to move regardless of the temperature, these days all I want to do is find a cool, comfortable space to read. Of course, for me, the question is always, what to read next. Here's what I have in the TBR pipeline.

1. In the realm of nonfiction, I'm about to crack open, Kissing Outside the Lines: A True Story of Love and Race and Happily Ever After by Diane Farr. In this book, Farr --who happens to be an actress -- tells her story of falling in love and marrying a Korean-American man. Farr is White. She also shares stories of other interracial couples she interviewed along the way for inspiration and guidance. Here's a clip of her being interviewed on The Today Show about the book.

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I'll being posting my review of the book as soon as i finish it.


And on my fiction list, I just read about Esmerelda Santiago's latest novel, Conquistadora. It's about a 19th century Spanish woman who convinces her husband to move to Puerto Rico to seek their fortune. He dies and she becomes a powerful plantation owner and healer. I've heard it is supposed to be the first story in a trilogy that has been described as a "Puerto Rican Gone With the Wind." Yummy! I can't wait to get my hands on this one. To be honest, I've only been a fan of Santiago's non-fiction, mostly her first memoir, When I Was Puerto Rican, but this novel with it's Spanish/African/Slavery/Kinky Gazpacho history sounds right up my alley. Anybody else plan on reading this one?

Okay, that's what's next on my list. What about you? I'm listening.

Peace!