Friday, December 28, 2012

Denver in Color

I was looking at my Facebook stream recently and lo and behold, on the Loving Day page, there was posted information on Denver in Color, a coffee table book that honors black/white interracial couples in the Denver area. It heartens me that the recognition of the interracial community is getting wider and I wish them all the greatest.

Saturday, December 15, 2012

Something in the Water and the Soul

Much has happened in this big wide world since I last posted oh so many months ago. Three much-publicized and horrifying events have put my brain matter into overtime. These situations became just the latest in a growing trend of those who have easy access to arms and use them in the most destructive ways possible. Firstly, there is this week's latest mass shooting, this time in Connecticut and of an especially heinous nature as it involved the killing of young children. Although at this point, it doesn't seem a clear motive has been established, many of these shootings tend to stem from unresolved mental health issues. Then there is the February shooting death of Trayvon Martin and the recent killing of Jordan Davis, both 17-year old black males from Florida whose lives came to abrupt ends at the hands of people with different racial backgrounds than their own.(Trayvon's killer George Zimmerman is of mixed Peruvian and white heritage, Jordan Davis' killer Michael Dunn is white). Although the legal process must be respected and the facts be allowed to play out in court, it angers me that we must sit here yet again and even entertain the slightest notion that both incidents may have been tempered by racial animosity and it grieves me that we as a nation are still mired in this stale state. I understand that racism ain't magically done just because we've twice elected a black President, but it's frustrating to realize that there are still those in this country whose ideologies are so static and deeply ingrained that they cower at any ripple of progress and the presence of those they deem too different from the old standard.

Sunday, February 12, 2012

Whitney, We Will Always Love You


On Saturday night, I received a text from a friend wondering if there were any truth behind news that Whitney Houston, the legendary singer, had died. Upon subsequently checking the news outlets on my laptop, I was smacked with confirmation that the 48-year old entertainer had indeed passed away. I returned her text with this shocking news and went about texting others, wondering if they'd heard as well. Of course, in this age of instant communication, they had, and the tributes flooded in. For many of us who were children of the '80's, the death of this singularly talented woman, whose powerful vocals were a regular part of our youth, this comes as an acute loss and she will be missed. Rest well, Whitney, you and your music are eternal.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

Ahh... Slavery, Good Times!

Slavery Museum by timbrauhn
Slavery Museum, a photo by timbrauhn on Flickr.

The madness that is the new conservatism rages on. Here for your reading pleasure is the brand-spankin' new version of the peculiar institution that a Tennessee faction of the Tea Party is trying to sell us. Tea Party Groups In Tennessee Demand Textbooks Overlook U.S. Founder's Slave-Owning History

Friday, January 20, 2012

Farewell Etta James


Etta James, the legendary blues singer, has died. The belter of such hits as the rocker "Dance with Me Henry" the sassy "W-O-M-A-N" and the now-classic ballad "At Last" succumbed to leukemia at age 73 in a hospital in Riverside, CA. Ms. James was born Jamesetta Hawkins on January 25, 1938 in Los Angeles, CA and beginning at around age 14, embarked on what would become an illustrious career. During this career, she won 6 Grammies, was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and earned her star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She is survived by her husband Artis Mills and her two sons Donto and Sametto, and despite whatever personal tribulations she may have experienced in her life, the most important thing to recognize is that she has left the world a more soulful place to live. Thanks, Etta.

Of White Supremacy and Swimming Pools


Last year, Jamie Hein, a 31-year old white landlord at a Cincinnati, Ohio duplex was found guilty of violating Civil Rights law by posting a whites-only sign on her swimming pool after one of her tenants brought his biracial daughter to swim, using the justification that blacks and biracials use hair products that would cloud the water. The Ohio Civil Rights Commission found her guilty of violating civil rights law and last Thursday she lost on appeal. So happy for small victories in the face of those who would try to hold us back.

Monday, January 2, 2012

Happy New Year!


Happy New Year, my dear readers! Thanks to all of you for keeping up with this blog thus far. I look forward to bringing you more news and happenings, and I wish all of you much success and happiness in the coming year!