Join the Campaign to Capitalize the "B"

I am a writer, so words mean a lot to me. I use my words to tell stories, to make people think and to express my ideas. We all know, despite the childhood refrain, that words have the power to wound and likewise they can heal (think Hallmark). And for that very reason, I have a problem with the way a certain letter is treated.

It's the letter B. Why is the letter B lower cased when describing Black people? I know black is a color but when I'm talking about my people, Black is not referring to the color of our skin (duh, Black people range in actual color from the lightest light to almost midnight black) it is the name of our culture. Black culture. A unique culture that is an amalgam of African, European, and Native American influences.

And whether you agree or not on what constitutes a Black American, the fact of the matter is that a lot of us colored folk identify as Black Americans, so that classification should be given all of the respect given other ethnic/cultural identifiers.

Let me make my point: If you see a sentence that says: "The school has an equal number of Asian, Hispanic and black students." How can you not feel like black is less than when it doesn't even merit a capital letter?

And I'm going to say further, how as a people, are we supposed to feel a pride in our culture when we can't even get a capital letter recognized as grammatically correct? In all of my writing, I always capitalize the letter b in Black. Many times it is struck down by a racist copy chief (just kidding, they're not intentionally racist, just probably afraid to buck the system)but I'll go to the mat to fight the change. In my books, where I have a little bit more control I beg for the change. Sometimes I win, sometimes I lose. But as a writer, a woman who uses words as her weapons for change, I never give up the fight.

And neither should you.

In the words of Bill Cosby, Come on People. If we all start capitalizing the b in Black when referring to Black people, then eventually the change will come. I mean, if Bling can make it into Webster's Dictionary, then we can capitalize the B.

Are you with me? Start with the man in the mirror and make that change (thank you Michael Jackson). You start the campaign, tell your friends. Tell your co-workers. Kids, tell your teachers. Black people deserve a capital B. We can start this revolution right now. And you don't have to be Black to believe in the the capital B. This is an issue that effects everyone who will ever put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard and write. This means you.

Peace!

Brothers Seperated at Birth?

No, Barak Obama and Dick Cheney are not brothers, but according to Cheney's wife, Lynne they are distant cousins! Yikes! Reported on CNN.Com:

"Mrs. Cheney said that in the course of researching her husband's genealogy for her new book, "Blue Skies, No Fences," she discovered that the two public figures share an ancestor eight generations ago.

"Think about this," Mrs. Cheney said. "This is such an amazing American story that one ancestor, a man that came to Maryland, could be responsible down the family line for lives that have taken such different and varied paths as Dick's and Barack Obama's."

Mrs. Cheney's spokeswoman Ginny Justice gave CNN's Ed Henry more details, saying the two unlikely relatives are related through a French Huguenot named Mareen Duvall. Cheney and Obama are both descendants of her."

Wow, this must be a lot for Dick to digest. First his daughter turns out gay and now he's got a Black cousin. I hope his heart can take the news!

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And in other unrelated news.
Please check out the new links I've added. The Backlist is a wonderful site managed by author/lit lover, Felicia Pride. I'm always checking it out to find out what's going on amongst the colored literatti. New books, lit prizes, author gossip, you name it, it's being reported on, on the Backlist. Check it out.

And if you're still looking for more literary news, views and reviews, mixed with a happy mix of gossip, politics and pop culture dissection by a Black man with a wicked bite, please check out Nat Turner's Revenge, the hilarious (and informative) blog by author Christopher Chambers. Today there's a really in-depth interview Chambers conducted with author Peter Schmidt. Schmidt's new book is called, Color and Money: How Rich White Kids are Winning the War Over College Affirmative Action.

Peace!

Why Indeed?

Karen Hunter has been at the receiving end of a lot of criticism this week (See My Terry McMillan post below) and I'm going to have to add my fuel to the fire.

Why would this book, Why Black Men Love White Women, be her debut book for her new imprint at Karen Hunter Books?

I want to applaud any young Black woman who lands her own imprint at a major publishing house, but gee, can we come up with something a little more useful than a stand-up comedian's unfunny examination of interracial relationships. The most unfunny thing about it is, the author Rajen Persuad was serious when he wrote this book, self-published it and then sold it to Ms. Hunter.

I wouldn't mind if this was being sold as humor tome, but these people are positioning this book as if Persuad had some Real information to share. From his website for the book Persuad writes:

I don't know how much you know about sex, power, politics and racism but when you read Why Black Men Love White Women you will most certainly be in for an intellectual exercise. You will know what it’s like to journey into the minds of the men and women around you. You will understand how they think and why they think that way. You will then become in touch with their deepest motivations and may be able to predict their every move.

Huh?

According to Persuad, within the pages of his book you will read about:
Why we live how we live.
Why are so many people afraid of Black people. And why so many of us are afraid of ourselves.
Why so many people to this day still hate Black people.
Why are Blacks still “complaining” about America.
What is reparations all about.
Why is there so much crime and poverty.
And why does so much of your hard earned money go to pay for it.
Believe it or not, all of these issues are inextricably linked to sex, power, and politics and are directly related to Why Black Men Love White Women.




Again. I repeat. This guy is a comedian. I'm not saying there's no space on bookstore shelves for a book that pokes fun at interracial relationships. Why not? But this book doesn't seem to be going for the funny.

I saw the book on the shelf at Barnes and Noble yesterday. It has a snazzy new cover with a bald black man nuzzling up with a blonde-haired blue-eyed woman while an out-of-focus (rejected) black woman watches from the background. Very provacative. But remember, you can't always judge a book by it's cover. In this case, judge it by the content because the cover (tacky as it is) may be the best thing about it.

Persuad writes that this book was written primarily for Black women, but I think I'm going to pass.

If someone does decide to shell out $24 to buy it, please chime in here and tell us how you liked it.

Peace.

Churros!

Here at the Meltingpot we firmly believe that one of the best ways to learn something about a different culture is to eat. When I lived as an exchange student in Morocco, I wasn't accepted into the family until I thrust my hand into a bowl of cous cous, savored the flavor of freshly slaughtered lamb and drank glass after glass of sweet mint tea. Once I ate, I destroyed the walls between my host family and myself, the walls between foreigner and family. I began to really understand Moroccan culture through the food and the daily rituals of preparing it.

Now, I'm not saying we're going to change the world here with the information that I'm about to share but...

Cinnabon is now selling churros. What is a churro? Well, depends who you ask.
At its most basic, a churro is a long piece of fried dough, usually rolled in sugar and sometimes stuffed with sweet things like chocolate or fruit preserves. Popular in Spanish speaking countries, here's a little history of the up and coming snack/dessert from the website Churrisimo Cafe.

Churros are traditional Spanish desserts developed centuries ago by Spanish shepherds. Up high in the mountains, fresh baked goods were impossible to come by, so the ingenious, nomadic folk of the hills came up with a delicious cake-like, cylindrical, daily staple which they could easily cook in a pan over an open fire. This was the birth of churros.

Originally churros were about the size of a breadstick, and they were eaten plain or rolled in cinnamon sugar. In Spain, churros are still a very popular breakfast, snack or dessert. But something this tasty wasn’t destined to remain in its country of origin.

It was only a matter of time before churros traveled to South America and other Hispanic countries and communities, eventually making their way to North America.

Once churros were adopted by peoples outside of Spain, they continued to evolve. Instead of being eaten plain, or rolled in sugar, a hollow, jumbo-sized churro was created, and stuffed with all kinds of delectable fillings such as chocolate, dulce de leche and fruit.

So depending on where you are, your churro will look and taste different. At Cinnabon, your churro may look and taste like this, from a reviewer onChowhound.com:

"I wouldn't say it was a spiral, it was in the traditional churros shape of the piping-tip star. The filling was weird--definitely a corn starch based cinnamony goo. The exterior was crispy and nicely coated in cinnamon sugar, and the interior was soft, and bordering on doughy closer to the filling."

I for one can never go to Spain without eating churros y chocolate as often as possible. If you have no immediate plans to go to Spain or Latin America, maybe you could head over to your local mall, find a Cinnabon and taste a little bit of Hispanic flavor and culture. Better yet, find a Hispanic restaurant or bakery (in good conscience, I cannot endorse the churros being sold in the subways of NYC.)and see if you can taste the real thing.

But we gotta give Cinnabon props for introducing the Churro to America's masses.

Peace.

Terry McMillan is not a fan of Ghetto Lit

The Ghetto Lit debate is about to get Hot again! Rumors are swirling around the literary blogosphere that Terry McMillan recently fired off a raging email to two execs at publishing giant Simon & Schuster and author/ghostwriter Karen Hunter (who helped Terry's Ex, Jonathan Plummer pen his trashy fictionalized tell-all for an imprint of S&S)).

Here's a piece of the alleged email:

The three of you, along with the other publishing houses who have been kind enough to add "special" urban/ghetto imprints are all about to see a major shift in your ongoing and relentless publication of exploitative, destructive, racist, egregious, sexist, base, tacky, poorly-written, unedited, degrading books. Like a number of Black bookstores who are starting to refuse to sell this trash, I, along with other Black literary organizations, supporters, book clubs as well as writers are about to make our opinions known, to aid in making clear to the public just how demeaning these books are and what it means to our community.

It is sad that it took years of selling trashy sexually-driven as well as tell-alls before so-called black writers were ever allowed in the Big Publishing Houses ...Why hasn't Walter Mosley or Edwidge Dandicat or Barak Obama or Terry McMillan or Jamaica Kincaid among others ever offered our very own imprints, I wonder?...

I've heard that Simon & Schuster has even gotten some of its authors out of jail just to go on a book tour. ...

This is the beginning of a brand new trend, so be prepared for it. Years ago white folks bought us and worked us as slaves. You're doing the same exact thing. The only problem is that back then we didn't go willingly. Malcolm X and Dr. King and Rosa Parks, among others, didn't fight for us to get to This, and this is precisely why you are beginning to see a lack of support for these disgusting books.

(Note: I've edited out the personal attacks on Karen Hunter. But if you really want to see the email in its entirety, go to the aalbc website)

I am anxiously awaiting the fallout from this email that is clearly making the rounds quite quickly. Even though I think Ms. McMillan is a bit of a hot head and much of this email was written in anger, I agree with her 100 percent in her evaluation of ghetto lit and its detrimental effects on anyone who reads it or even sees it in the stores. Not to mention the authors of more "serious" literature who can't get their foot in the door or promotional dollars to support their efforts.

When I walk into Border's Book store, for example, and see what's on display under African-American literature -- dozens of book covers with purple shiny script and half-naked women -- I want to cry. I love books and bookstores like a fat boy loves cake, but the place where I should be able to find literature that reflects my reality offers only degrading smut. I feel cheated and embarrassed instead of inspired and excited. And this is the truth as you'll only read it on the MeltingPot. What about all of those non-Black people who want to educate themselves about Black culture and Black life because in their real life they don't know any Black people. This is what they think we're living like. It's like Primetime TV before the Cosby's. Only now, we ought to know better.

And before anyone jumps on me for being bourgie and out of touch with my peoples, back off. There are wonderful books -- fiction and non-fiction -- that tell the gritty and often gruesome tales of Black urban poverty, resilience and the "game." And they actually include grammatically correct sentences that make sense. What about Push by Sapphire? What about The Autobiography of Malcolm X? I loved both of those books. What about Project Girl by the late Janet Malcolm (who also penned some great YA books that were mostly set in the projects of NYC). Why do publishing houses set the bar so low for African-American readers? What does that mean?

I have been passively angry about this topic for so long. Maybe it's time, thanks to Terry McMillan, to get this revolution going.

Peace!

Black Hair is Still Political

People continue to ask me if Black hair is still political. After Glamour magazine, Don Imus, and that little girl who couldn't dance in her ballet recital because of her dredlocks, I have to shake my head and say ABSOLUTELY.

I have nothing new to add to the subject here except to say that a whole lot of people will be discussing the topic this weekend, October 6-7 at the 13th Annual International Locks Conference in Philadelphia. No joke. There is a whole weekend festival in my new home town dedicated to cultivating the loc. Actually, the conference is really a celebration of Black culture and natural hair. There will be food, fashion, dance and a million different ideas to apply to the locks growing out of Black people's heads.

Over at Anti-Racist Parent there were 46 comments posted on an essay by Liz Dwyer who wrote about the detrimental effects of the terms "good" and "bad" hair on African-American children. This makes me realize just how important then, this locks conference really is. To educate and celebrate. For Blacks, Whites and everyone in between. Because even though it is a cliche, knowledge is power. Even when we're talking about hair.

One Drop

I just had to post this link to an interview on Fresh Air with author Bliss Broyard, author of One Drop: My Father's Hidden Life. Full disclosure, I haven't read the book, yet, but the subject matter is fascinating.

The book is billed as a memoir of the author's famous father, Anatole Broyard, writer and literary critic for the New York Times. Born in 1920 to Creole parents in Louisiana, he and his family decided or were forced to, depending on who you ask, pass for White when they moved to New York City and couldn't find work as Black people. Once Anatole crossed the color line, apparently he never went back to the Black side, including keeping a distance from his own family.

The interview with his daughter is riveting as she describes what it was like at age 24 to find out that she was actually "part Black." I almost crashed my car listening to the interview as she was describing this moment because her mother's response to her children upon revealing "the secret," was (and I'm paraphrasing here) "Well, even though your father is Black, you're not. You're White."

Deep. Deep. Deep.

I for one will add this book to my list of must read Meltingpot books.

For more information about Bliss and to see if she's coming to a city near you, check out her website.

Peace.

National Hispanic Month

Am I the last person to find out that September 15 marked the first day of National Hispanic Heritage Month? Or are others out there as clueless as I? I happened to notice the small print on the calendar at my son's school and came home to investigate.

Sure enough, since 1988, September 15 - October 16 has been officially National Hispanic Month (or Latino Heritage Month, depending on who you're talking to), designated as such because five different Latin American countries -- Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua -- received their independence on September 15. And Mexico, coincidentally, celebrates their independence on September 16th!

Now here at the Meltingpot, we're all about celebrating diversity, so I am truly appalled that I didn't have a clue that Hispanic Month was happening. And I am willing to bet that I'm not the only one. Why is that? There are now officially like 35 million Hispanic people living in the United States and counting. This celebratory month (which was a week long celebration for 20 years before the U.S. government upped it to a whole month) has been an official celebration for more than three decades so why aren't there commercials on TV? Where are the PBS specials? Where are the books about great Latino/as in history being released to coincide with the big month? In other words, why isn't Latino History Month as big as Black History Month? Even National Poetry Month seems to get more play than Latino History Month.

And don't get me wrong, I know that in other parts of the country where there is a larger population of Hispanic people, there is surely a greater awareness, but still, I think there is at the very least a need for a greater PR campaign for this very important month.

But don't take my word for it. Check out Tolerance.org. On their website they not only explain the importance of Hispanic Heritage month, but they also offer some great ideas and lesson plans to help celebrate this oft neglected piece of American history.

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!

America the Beautiful

I didn't watch the Emmy's last night, but that doesn't mean I wasn't really happy to see that America Ferrera won an award for Best Actress in a comedy series for Ugly Betty.

True confession, I've never watched Ugly Betty but I loved America in Real Women have Curves and she was pretty sweet in Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. But more importantly, I think it's fantastic to have a Latina woman win this award. I've seen it mentioned that Ferrera would be the first Latina woman to win an Emmy, but this is not true as Rita Moreno, I believe, holds this honor for her work on The Electric Company. Still, America may be the first Primetime Latina Emmy Award winner. Whether she's a first or not, she's definitely in a small pool, so hats off to wonderful young actress.

Here's a Meltingpot trivia question. What country are America's parents from?

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And Changing the Subject...

Those of you living close to New York City, should check out theUp South International Book Festivalthis week. It runs September 19-23 in Harlem. The festival honors literary works by people of color from all over the world and incorporates music, dance, film and spoken word poetry into the celebration. Some of the authors who will be attending include, Martha Southgate, Tina McElroy Ansa,Stacey Patton, and the great Caribbean writer, Maryse Conde. And that's just a taste. Filmmakers from Iran, Senegalese dancers and Philly's own Sonia Sanchez will also be in attendance. In an effort to prove that people of color do create literary works beyond street lit, Up South, Inc. was founded, so check it out.

Happy reading.

Peace.

Black and Amish?

Correction!
Thanks to my eagle-eyed and knowledgeable readers, it has come to my attention that this couple is most likely not Amish, but in fact Mennonnite. The Mennonites and the Amish share a common protestant history, but they are quite different in their current practices and core beliefs. You can visit Thirdwaycafe.com to have all your Mennonite questions answered.

Thirdway Cafe also provides the following information about Black Mennonites:
" The Mennonite Brethren denomination was among the first known to begin work among people of African-American origin, in a mining community of Elk Park, N.C. in 1886. The Mennonite Church baptized its first black members in 1897 in Cocolamus, Pa."

End of correction

School's back in session and My American Meltingpot is back from summer vacation. Please keep tuning in to see what we're blogging about. This year we're going to try to post more frequently since there always seems to be something brewing in America's cultural stew. Things that make us mad. People who inspire us and of course those situations that just make us go hmmm....like this one.

Recently I went to the Philadelphia Zoo with my family. We were just strolling along, looking at monkeys and elephants and such when I noticed a large crowd of Amish folk taking in the sights as well. Of course I noticed them, because, well, big groups of Amish are noticeable at places like the zoo. Sure they were pushing strollers and pointing at the giant boa constrictors like the rest of us, but the outfits always make you look twice. Not that there's anything wrong with the Amish dress, I'm just saying you notice it.

Well, on this particular day, with this particular group of Amish, I noticed one couple because the husband was Black. Just regular old American looking Black. He was wearing black pants and a white shirt so at first I couldn't be sure if he was really with the group, but then I realized that his wife was the Amish woman in the floral-print dress next to him and the little biracial girl who held his hand was surely his daughter.

I had to hold myself back from running right up to him to ask if he was indeed Amish. I wanted to know how he came to be Amish. If there were more like him. Of course I did not ask these burning questions because I believe in people's right to enjoy an outing at the zoo without being attacked by curious strangers like myself.

So, I simply allowed myself to stare and wonder and smile at the sight. This is what I love to see, racial stereotypes being shattered by regular everyday people. Just by being out at the zoo, this couple made people stop and think and question. This is what I love about the human experience. This is what I love about My American Meltingpot.

Curiously, after a brief internet search I found very little information about Black Amish people. Technically, Amish is a religion so anybody "should" be able to join, but I'm not sure how the Amish handle "newcomers." Definitely something that makes you go hmmmm.

Peace.

Photo by Vitamin Lee

We're Coming Back....

Thanks for stopping by. The Meltingpot will be back in action, on September 10, 2007.

In the meantime, check out our new links and come back next Monday.

The Meltingpot is On Vacation

The Meltingpot is on Vacation. Relaxing and regenerating for the fall.

Just like prime time, please tune back in, in September.

Thank you.

Integrated Art

I never want to be thought of as an Angry Race Woman. Someone who can never appreciate the beauty around her because she is always ranting and raving about some injustice that the MAN has thrust upon her people.

Clearly, as evidenced by this blog, I am obsessed with racial issues, but I'm always on the look-out for signs of progress and thoughtful integration, not just instances of racial inequities. BUT, I think I'm going to have to put on my Angry Black Woman hat for a moment.

Yesterday I took my two SpaNegro boys to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. It was pay what you want day, so the hubby and I decided to beat the heat and expose the boys to some culture at the same time. No agenda, just a chance to show them what "art" looks like in a big museum. After some exciting hands-on crafts we headed to the Arms and Armor exhibit, dashed through the special exhibit on William H. Johnson and then strolled through the great hall to view some of the modern and contemporary artists. We really wanted to show our older son some Joan Miro paintings because they show a striking similarity to the artwork he brings home from kindergarten!

As we're walking and the boys are gazing at the different paintings on the wall, I find myself looking for any paintings by or of people of color. After a short while the kids started getting antsy and we knew we would have to leave soon but I almost started feeling desperate to show them something, anything that would prove to them that people that looked like them were part of this amazing display of art. Granted we pointed out Picasso, Miro and Dali, Spanish artists, but the work of the Negro was nowhere in sight, save the Johnson exhibit in a separate hall downstairs.

By chance we noticed a Diego Rivera mural behind the staircase on our way out, so we felt we were getting closer to some colored people's art. Just as I was about to curse out the curators, the experts and the board of directors of the Philadelphia Museum for not including Black artists in this massive building, in a city with a double digit Black population, I noticed a flyer at the information desk. Right there in front of me there was a listing of all of the "African-American Works on View." Ooops. Glad I didn't open my mouth. And next to that there was a similar listing of Latino Works on View. I just didn't know where to look.

NOT!

Three massive floors of phenomenal art, whole galleries dedicated to, American art, European Art(early and modern), Costume and Textiles, Asian Art, the aforementioned armor and only 15 pieces of artwork done by African-Americans are on display. And of those 15, two are cups and two are pieces of furniture, meaning one would be hard-pressed to know that a person of color created them. The contributions of Black-American artists in the Philadelphia Museum of Art can be listed on a single sheet of paper. The Latinos' contributions at least, stretched to two.

It would be one thing if Black people and Latinos just weren't an artistic people and had nothing to contribute to the art world, but we know that's not true which makes this all the more painful to accept. Except for special exhibitions, why are the works of Black and Latino artists not on the walls with their contemporaries? Why is there not a Black American or African gallery? Why is there no Latin American gallery? Is it racism? Is it ignorance? Is it apathy?

Whatever the reason, a great city like Philadelphia who wants to be the Next Big City, will never get my vote (even though I live here now) if their world famous museum doesn't include the work of the world's artists. They promote their "international collection of nearly 225,000 works of art," but fail to mention that the colored people's work didn't make the cut. And obviously if they are putting out flyers highlighting the works of African-Americans and Latinos (which coincidentally are almost all Mexican not a reflection of the diversity of Latino artists) then they know that people want to see works by artists of color.

Shame Shame Philly Museum. It's time to integrate your walls.

When Hip Hop Met Flamenco...

For all of you Spanish / World music fans out there, I know I'm way behind in discovering the band Ojos de Brujo so pardon my "I've just found Religion" enthusiasm for this group.

In case you didn't bother to read my bio over on the right, I am a Black American woman married to a Spaniard from Andalucia, so I am always trying to find examples of Black and Spanish cultures coming together that don't involve the Amistad, rum or sugar cane. And here I discover this Barcelona-based band of gypsy musicians who describe their sound as "hip hop flamenquillo." Their sound is decidedly Spanish, but the hip hop, reggae, world beat influence runs deep through their music and lyrics. It's like they're channeling their inner colored child without overdoing it. They're not trying to sound like Jay-Z with an accent, they're more into creating a new sound based on the delightful mix of colored people's music everywhere.

Currently on tour in the USA, the New York Times just ran a review of one of their two New York City performances. I love the group's passion and idealism and commitment to change the world, one song at a time.

If you get a chance, check out their latest album, Techari (Means free in the gypsy language of Spain), meditate on their lyrics and prepare to be enchanted by the "eyes of the sorcerer."

Hasta La Proxima Vez!

Nicole Richie -- In Search of an Authentic Negro Experience?

Maybe it's because I just returned from the Loving Decision conference where I was surrounded by healthy multiracial individuals, that I just can't stop thinking about Nicole Richie.

If there was ever a mixed chick who needed help, it has to be her. Although she vehemently denies an eating disorder, Nicole clearly needs to put on some weight before a strong wind picks her up and carries her away. And the drugs and other illegal substances she likes to ingest before driving backwards on the highway, make me think she is a very troubled little girl. Duh! Right? So I did a little research and I have a theory.

Nicole apparently self-identifies as African-American, because her adopted father is Lionel Richie or because she actually has African-American ancestry, I'm not sure. But the point is, maybe Nicole is so troubled because she feels she really is a Black girl trapped in a skinny White girl's body and she doesn't know how to let her inner Shanika Jones out. Maybe, just maybe, instead of hanging with Paris Hilton, Nicole should be paling around with Queen Latifah and India Arie and they could help her get in touch with her interior authentic Black self. (Note: If Hollywood is reading this, that would be a really good reality show.)

I'm speaking from experience. I know what its like to want to be authentically Black but have nobody to turn to for lessons in Negritude. I moved to Brooklyn to learn my lessons, maybe Nicole could exit LA and try the same thing. It's just an idea. Or maybe Lionel could come down from dancing on the ceiling and be a good father and take his daughter down South and fatten up body and soul with some down home cookin' and sweet tea therapy.

With rumors now swirling that Nicole might be preggers, I just hope she finds some peace sooner rather than later.

And now back to things that really matter.

Peace!

Memories from the Loving Conference 2007

Well, the Loving Decision Conference 2007 is officially over. As expected, it was a wonderful conference attended by incredible people. Authors, activists, educators, artists and one daytime soap star came together to discuss, debate and share thier ideas about the future of the mixed-race community. Jungmiwha Bullock, conference coordinator and president of the Association of MultiEthnic Americans deserves a great big round of applause for her tireless work.

For me, the best part of the conference was seeing the many forms of artistic expression with multi-ethnic themes. Represented were artists like Laura Kina and Katrina Grigg-Saito. Writers like Janet Stickmon and Heidi Durrow. And then there were the documentary filmmakers like, Jessica Chen Drammeh and Octavio Warnock-Graham. Each of these artists brings their own creative genius and multiethnic heritage to their work and the results are truly inspiring. Check them out and prepare to be moved.

Peace!

Two Families Who Should Really Go to the Loving Decision Conference

Just four days to go before the Loving Decision Conference 2007. Registration is still open for the three-day conference dedicated to examining the "Next 40 Years of Multicultural Communities." The conference is being held at Roosevelt University in downtown Chicago and will feature authors, educators, activists, artists, and sociologists on hand to discuss (and celebrate) the issues surrounding multicultural identity.

I'll be there talking about some of my favorite subjects like, Black hair as an expression of cultural identity, multi-culti relationships and parenting SpaNegro boys. I can't wait to be in a room full of like-minded meltingpot folks!

Of course there's that element of preaching to the choir. Many of the people who have registered to attend the conference are doing so because they, like me, want to commune with Our Kind of People. On the other hand, those who would benefit most from attending the Loving Decision Conference probably have no clue that such an event exists.

For example, the two families I'd really like to see in Chicago this weekend are:

1. The Andrews Family from Long Island.
The Andrews are suing their infertility clinic for inseminating Mrs. Andrews with the sperm of (gasp!) a Black man. Their daughter, Jessica looks Black which fills Papa and Mama Andrews with unspeakable dread. Despite the fact that Mama Andrews is a Dominican woman with light brown skin. The Andrews complain, "We fear that our daughter will be the object of scorn and ridicule by other children.” Why? Because Jessica has “characteristics more typical of African or African-American descent.” (Ouch)

Of course there are so many legitimate medical malpractice issues on the table, but in the meantime, this family needs to get their act together and figure out how to live harmoniously in a multi-hued family. Move on from the bitterness. And stop giving their beautiful brown daughter a color complex. If there was a poster family in need of a trip to the Loving Conference, I'd say it was this one.

2. Britney Spears, Kevin Federline and Shar Jackson

Not that I'd personally like to spend any time with any of these people, but their lives seem to be ridiculously intertwined and just plain ridiculous. And at the end of the day, whether K-Fed ends up with Brit Brit or Shar he's got a passel of differently hued offspring that need tending to. And whether they like it or not, both Brit and Shar will probably be babysitting K-Fed's kids at some point or another so they should all attend and take notes to take back to Hollywood.

And that's all I have to say for now.

Peace.

What Age Do You Introduce Race?

Not so long ago I was having a conversation with an Asian friend of mine about when and how we should start talking about Race with our children. We didn’t want to “burden” them with this heavy concept, yet we didn’t want them to get their information from outside sources in a way that might make them feel embarrassed or ashamed of their ethnic background either. We finished the conversation when one of our kids poured a bowl of cheerios on their head, promising to get back to the discussion at a later date.

That later date happened for me last week.

I was lurking around the hallways at my son’s adorable Quaker School when I heard there was some presentation going on in the first grade classes. Since my son is going to be in first grade next year, I decided to go take a peek. Turns out it was a Race, Ethnicity and Identity extravaganza presented by the first and second graders.

Using a carefully selected collection of picture books (Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester, The Color of Us by Karen Katz) as their launch pad, the faculty created a curriculum to have the children explore the concept of identity. Rather than teaching the children about static racial categories, they gave the children the tools to define their own identity and share their personal true-life stories with their classmates. As the headmaster said to me as he witnessed parents, teachers and students gushing over the tremendous work these young people had created, “We’ve made it so the children want to learn about diversity because it’s fun, not because they’re supposed to.”

The kids made self-portraits, mixed paint colors to match their skin tones, wrote mini-biographies and of course had many enlightening discussions. Best of all was the aura of celebration and excitement around this theme instead of the weariness and dread usually associated with race-based curricula. I applaud the teaching team at Greene Street Friends School for taking the time and energy to infuse “diversity awareness education” with so much positive energy and excitement.

And I learned that if the story begins with a celebration of identity instead of a history lesson of oppression and other people’s perceptions, it’s never too early to begin the discussion of “race.”

Peace.

Say Goodbye Mr. Washington

According to the New York Times, Grey's Anatomy star, Isaiah Washington will not be coming back to the hit show next season. Reportedly, Washington's contract is not being renewed because of his usage of an anti-gay slur to describe a fellow cast member some eight months back. We wrote about the whole brouhaha here on the Meltingpot.

How does this fit into our theme of celebrating interracial relationships for the Loving Conference 2007 Countdown? Well, it means television's most celebrated -- and perhaps only -- good looking, African-American, Korean-American, upper-middle class, professional couple will be no more. Light a candle, watch the reruns and remember the good times between Dr. Preston Burke and Dr. Cristina Yang. They helped bring an alternate vision of interracial love into the mainstream.

But here's a thought. What is the likelihood of Grey producers finding a Korean male star to be Dr. Yang's newest love interest? If you ask me, there's a heck of a good chance the next person she gets involved with will not be Asian. So the titilating, multi-culti love fest should continue at Seattle Grace.

Peace!

Speaking of Interracial Loving

As I begin the countdown for the Loving Decision Conference 2007, I thought why not write about some groovy, important, interracial relationships, past and present, that deserve celebration. Because really, how often does that happen in real life?

It's ironic really that there ever even existed anti-miscegenation laws since it never stopped people of different races from falling in love or even marrying for that matter. History is full of romance and relationships across color lines, but many historians would like to conveniently delete them from our collective memory.

This weekend, while strolling through the Philadelphia Museum of Art I discovered the artwork of William H. Johnson. Johnson was an artistic genius, born in South Carolina in 1901. I'd known of Johnson only as a painter of the Harlem Renaissance who grew frustrated with America's hostile racial climate and so he escaped to Europe.

Indeed Johnson did find the freedom he longed for in Europe to pursue his art as an artist instead of the suffocating label of Black artist. He ended up living for sometime in Denmark where he met his wife, Holcha Krake, a textile artist more than a decade older than himself.

In Denmark, in the tiny fishing village Johnson and Krake called home, the locals were more surprised that Krake had married at age 44. The fact that her husband was a Black man was inconsequential in their eyes. Johnson and Krake supported and influenced each other's work, sometimes they collaborated on pieces and eventually the couple moved to New York City. Krake, reportedly faced far more criticism in the US for being a Black man's wife than Johnson ever did in Europe. Still, their passionate love for one another seemed to sustain them and their art in the face of America's "race problem."

The end of their romance is tragic. Holcha Krake died of breast cancer, circa 1944. Soon after, around 1946 Johnson was diagnosed with "syphilis-induced paresis," which basically meant his brain turned to mush over the next 20 years, leaving him completely without memory of his former life or loves.

If you get a chance, look into the art of William H. Johnson, not because he married a White woman, but because he was a man who refused to allow the color of his skin to limit his passions.

Peace Out and keep Loving!

(illustration by William H. Johnson titled "Cafe" )