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!

Push Girls: Real Diversity on TV

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Not too long ago, I was lamenting the lack of diversity on television. Well, apparently I wasn't looking in the right places. Thanks to the smart folks over at Racialicious, I heard about this new series premiering on the Sundance Channel this June called, Push Girls. Yes, it's a reality show, but honestly it looks really good.

The show will follow the lives of four dynamic, diverse, girlfriends who all happen to be paralyzed. Three of the four are paraplegics, one is a quadriplegic. But this isn't a show about disabilities. It's a show about female friendship, living life in image-obsessed Los Angeles, relationships (romantic and otherwise) and being an individual. Two of the women are White, one is a Latina and one is mixed Asian and European. All of them have really amazing backgrounds -- and all of them are living amazing lives today. If I had cable, I'd be sure to tune in on June 4th. Hopefully I can catch it on-line.

Here's a sneak peek.


So, do you think you'll be watching Push Girls? Why or why not?
I'm listening.

Peace!

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!

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!

Rachel Crow has My Vote: The New Mixie Making Music

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I don't know how many of you have been watching the X Factor on TV these days. I've been catching a show here and there. My boys and I watched the auditions because they're always fun, but honestly I haven't been really paying attention. Until last night. I caught the last twenty minutes of the show and watched the cutest little kid get voted off. From what I witnessed, she out sang the other dude by far and it is a shame she didn't make the cut. Apparently, thousands of little Rachel's growing fan base also believes she shouldn't have been eliminated and have been making their opinions known all over cyberspace.

I'm sure, Hollywood being Hollywood, Rachel Crow is still going to get a recording contract, probably a movie deal and perhaps even her own line of perfumes. Or perhaps she'll be the new spokesperson for Kinky Curly hair products. I for one, would be happy to see a tween/teen star with brown skin, curly hair, and a great personality. On the other hand, after all this excitement and her very emotional breakdown on the show last night, maybe the best thing for Rachel at this point would be to go back to being a regular kid for awhile. You know, rest and regroup. Because even if America voted otherwise, the Meltingpot knows Rachel Crow is going to be a star.

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.

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.

Mixie Music --Meet Javier Colon!

Ohhhh Meltingpot Readers,

I'm in love. Thank goodness this man is happily married and I'm too pregnant to become a groupie. Please listen to this man sing and try not to melt. Meet Javier Colon, the winner of the recent NBC show, The Voice. I hate it that this wonderful musician has been singing for years, has released two albums and only because of subjecting himself to an American Idol style experience has he gotten the attention he deserves, but still, I'm so glad he did.

Listen to his version of Cyndi Lauper's Time After Time:



The fact that he's beautiful to look at, is Puerto Rican and Dominican and would have been a teacher if the singing thing hadn't worked out makes me love him even more. I'll stop gushing now, but I'll leave you with this final song of his, Stitch by Stitch. And I'm just wondering, has anyone else been a Javier Colon fan before The Voice? Do tell.



Happy Weekend!

Mariah Carey Goes "Moroccan"

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Maybe it's because I have baby names on the brain, but I was taken aback by the news that Mariah Carey and her husband, Nick Cannon decided to name their just born twins, Monroe (the girl) and Moroccan (the boy). Say what?

Don't get me wrong, Meltingpot readers, I have no right to judge a person's choice for their children's name, but I'm going to anyway. Why? Because it just seems so wrong, purely from a grammatical standpoint. Apparently Mrs. Cannon named her son after her top floor apartment, a.k.a. The Moroccan Room. It's where Nick proposed and it is decorated in a Moroccan style. Notice, in that previous sentence, Moroccan is an adjective, not a noun. Posh Spice (Victoria Beckham) named one of her kids Brooklyn. Gwyneth Paltrow named her kid after a piece of fruit (Apple), so clearly Hollywood baby names have gone quite loopy, but I think until now, we've obeyed the rules of grammar. I could be wrong. I probably am.

But still, maybe in the post-labor, hormonal euphoria, Nick and Mariah wrote "Moroccan" on the birth certificate, but they meant to write Morocco. Heck, I used to teach Sunday school back in the day and two little brothers in my class were named, Paris and France. I get the 'name your baby after an exotic, significant, special locale,' but can't we at least have those names make a little bit more sense? A little. I mean, think of the consequences. And what will they call the little munchkin for short? It just makes me shake my head, suck my teeth and wonder.

By the way, I'm thinking of naming my baby girl, Menopause, because soon after she's born, that's where I'm heading. What do you think?

Peace!

The Color of My Children -- A Mother's Musing

Hello Meltingpot Readers,

How many of you have heard about the most recent story of the Ohio born twins, where one was Black and one was White? Didn't hear about it? Well, here's a story about it so you can get all caught up. The truth is, the multi-hued kid story always makes the news because it just seems soooo unusual, but for those of us in mixie marriages, not so much.

In fact, as we await the impending birth of baby number three in the kinky gazpacho household, we are already speculating what she will look like. But unlike those in "monoracial marriages," we're not just wondering if she'll have mommy's eyes or daddy's nose. We're wondering if she will be toasty brown like her eldest brother or as pale as her younger brother who has often been mistaken for White, Asian and/or the kid I'm babysitting for. And the hair. Oy vey, the hair. We're trying to guess just how curly it will be. Will they be tight, brown curls like the older kid or big, black, loose curls like the younger. Or will she surprise us with a whole new texture and color pattern all her own?

It's funny, when I was younger and imagined what my daughter might someday look like, I always envisioned a mini-me with chocolate brown skin, black kinky hair and a brilliant smile that would light up a room. Now, I have no idea how she will turn out. But that's kind of cool too. I mean, I already know she's a girl. I pray to God she's healthy. So the anticipation comes from imagining just how different she may look. Different from me, her father, and her brothers. But at the same time seeing what she does capture from my family genes and those from her Spanish family. Since my family carries the DNA of Black, White, and Native American ancestors and el esposo's people come from as far away as Morocco, Malta island and Europe, baby girl has a lot of looks to choose from.

So, Meltingpot readers. What does your family look like and how do you reconcile the differences between you all? Personally, I don't see my family as multi-hued, I just see my family. It's only when others point it out that I take note. And of course now as we wait for the wee one I can't help but wonder. But still, as soon as she gets here, she'll just be one more in the Kinky Gazpacho mix.

Let's hear your stories.

I'm listening.

Peace!

Mississippi Is All About the Masala?

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

I'm back from Virginia, exhausted but content. The VA Festival of the Book was a phenomenal success. I never made it to Jefferson's Monticello, but I made some great new author friends and garnered an invitation to return to Charlottesville. Yea!

I don't have a lot of time to post today, but I wanted to make sure everyone saw this article in the New York Times about the growing trend of mixed-race families in the state of Mississippi.

Here are some interesting facts from the story:

" In the first comprehensive accounting of multiracial Americans since statistics were first collected about them in 2000, reporting from the 2010 census, made public in recent days, shows that the nation’s mixed-race population is growing far more quickly than many demographers had estimated, particularly in the South and parts of the Midwest. That conclusion is based on the bureau’s analysis of 42 states; the data from the remaining eight states will be released this week.

In North Carolina, the mixed-race population doubled. In Georgia, it expanded by more than 80 percent, and by nearly as much in Kentucky and Tennessee. In Indiana, Iowa and South Dakota, the multiracial population increased by about 70 percent. ...

Mississippi led the nation in the growth of mixed marriages for most of the last decade, according to Mr. Frey’s analysis of the American Community Survey. Still, multiracial people are a tiny percentage of the state’s population: 34,000, about 1.1 percent. And many here complain of enduring racial inequities."

Please read the story in its entirety and tell me what you think. (I sound like a professor handing out assignments, don't I?) And by the way, who didn't love the movie Mississippi Masala? If you never saw it, get thee to a video store right now.


Peace!

Music Monday -- Best New Artist: Esperanza Spalding

Hi Meltingpot Readers,

Last night for the first time in ages, I watched the Grammy Awards. Not the entire show, but enough to catch the announcement of the best new artist. And while my kids were SHOCKED that Justin Bieber did not win, I was thrilled to see jazz phenom, Esperanza Spalding pick up the award.

A brief tour around the internet this morning proves that a lot of people don't know much about the amazingly Afroe'd singer/songwriter/instrumentalist so I thought I'd dedicate today's post to Ms. Spalding who besides her awesome musical talent has a great meltingpot background (African-American, Hispanic, Welsh and Native American) which fuels her interest in an eclectic range of music.

So, here's a story that ran on Latina.com about Spalding's win last night. And then of course you can go directly to her website for more information, including tour dates. And finally, I leave you with a little bit of music to begin your week. Sorry Justin Bieber, you didn't stand a chance.



Peace!

"Mixed Race People are the Face of the Future"

Marilyn Minter is a celebrated contemporary artist who only uses mixed race models in her work. In an interview with Artlurker magazine, she explains why:


"I think mixed race people are the most compelling and most beautiful. I wouldn’t call it sentimental as much as prophetic. To me, Alicia [her mixie model]looks like the face of the future.

What do you think of that? Impressed? Feeling fetish vibes? Intrigued? Would it make a difference if Minter were Mixed instead of White? Check out Racialicious writer, LaToya Peterson's take on Minter and others who seem to glorify mixed-race beauty in kind of creepy ways.

Happy Friday.

Peace!

Shocking News from the Mixed-Race Baby front...again

I was scanning a newspaper on the train the other day, and an article with the following headline caught my eye: "Mixed-Race Couple has mixed-race twins again."

Of course I read the article, and discovered that a couple in London, where mum is White and Dad is Black, just had their second set of twin daughters where one looks Black and the other White. Remembering the last time this kind of story broke and the twins weren't all that different looking, I didn't think this case would be much different. But I googled the couple and found this story with a picture. And it is pretty amazing.

As the mother of two boys who also are different colors (not so dramatically), I bristle when people point this out to me. When they say, "oh how cute, one looks like you and one looks like your husband," I don't find it cute.

So I feel some sort of shame at being fascinated by stories like these. What do you think? Should two babies born with different pigmentation be page one news stories? Is there a proper way to frame the story, from a scientific wonder perspective that takes away the "freak of nature" aspect to it, perhaps? Thoughts?

Peace!

May is Mixed-Race People History Month

Hey, bet you didn't know that May is Mixed-Race People History month! I didn't either until I stumbled across Light Skinned-ed Girl's blog.

LSG actually decided on her own that May should be devoted to recognizing the many achievements of mixed-race people the world over to combat the tragic mulatto stereotype. On her blog she's profiling some fascinating mixed-race people. Go Ahead LSG.

Check it out and Happy Mixed-Race People History Month!

Peace.