"Overeducated" Black women and Negro Nerds in general
Excellent links over at George's place about Black women and education. Including an excerpt from Trudier Harris' essay, Mind Work: How a Ph.D. Affects Black Women, at the Chronicle of Higher Education. She talks about how the pursuit and attainment of a Ph.D effectively makes African American women outsiders in their own community and makes dating more difficult. Selfishly I'd like to hear about women who have gone the Ph.D route after having children. I notice that many of the sisters in that set are without children as well.

Friendly takeovers
I love this idea. Just this weekend I had brunch at an upscale pseudo-bistro and when I arrived the hostess knew exactly who I was meeting. Before I even said a word. My girlfriends and I were the only black people in the restaurant. I've gotten so used to that (being the only or one of) at this point. It's still wonderful to go somewhere and see other black folks, though.
The friendly takeover idea does remind me of the swarm, however. Which reminds me that I have yet to read Howard Rheingold's Smart Mobs. From the web site's summary of the book:

Smart mobs emerge when communication and computing technologies amplify human talents for cooperation. The impacts of smart mob technology already appear to be both beneficial and destructive, used by some of its earliest adopters to support democracy and by others to coordinate terrorist attacks.

The war thing
PopMatters has some good essays on the cultural aspects of our war efforts and coverage.

Tuned out
Well, I've pretty much buried my head in the sand for the last week. I've only caught bits of the President's pronouncements, like the money request to Congress today, by accident. And, though I am listening out for war news, I am so glad that I don't have to watch it 12 hours a day for work. Unfortunately that makes it all too easy for me to avoid it altogether. That is one of the things that makes our modern wars even scarier to me. That we as Americans can just ignore what's going on and watch our cable tv, our hoops, or just keep on living our normal lives. I wonder how the lack of impact this has on American life relates to our willingness to engage in warfare. Are we more willing to let our government start the fight since it doesn't mean we'll have to go hungry, worry about bombing raids or go to hospitals that are ill-equipped to help us?

Being out of the war loop I was stunned by the story of the American sergeant accused of a grenade attack on his superiors. Apparently this happened in Vietnam as well and was called "fragging." He's an African American Muslim so that of course is being raised as a possible issue. I think it's just another part of this strange and horrific journey that we're on. It reminds me also that although I was an adult during GWI, I really didn't think about it that much. So this feels like my first "real" war - and even this feels very remote. I wonder what would happen to the national psyche if we got real, unfiltered information about all the atrocities in this "conflict."

It's been too long.
Well, the war has begun and I haven't much to add to all the alternative coverage and commentary. Only that I've been here, and here to get other views and ended up reading notes from a blogger in Baghdad.

I decided to make time today to post photos from the one protest I did attend earlier this year.

Babysitter Bums

Note: the following is really just a vent, so if it doesn't make sense, that's just too bad for you. There are many challenges in new motherhood/parenthood and this week I encountered a big one. The babysitter quest. My second babysitter bailed, just as the first one did - no notice, no call, just *poof.* It makes me crazy. Just crazy enough to think about calling their phone numbers over and over again and leaving mean messages, but not insane enough to actually go through with the harassment. It makes me crazy to be dependent on anyone for precisely this reason -- people fail you all the time.

In the regular, non-babysitting-obsessed world, we're on some kind of higher terror alert. And once again I don't know whether to go bury my head in the Florida sand or gather our canned goods. I firmly believe we won't know when such a disaster is planned or carried out until it's upon us. Even if we were sure something was going to happen, we'd never be truly prepared. I'd rather not know so I won't waste my final hours worrying.

Rev. JJ

This old news, but from a small town, so maybe it's not all over. Jesse Jackson's home county, Greenville County, S.C., has not made MLK day a government holiday. He wants to change that and was involved in a recent demonstration about it.

In looking for that clip, I found a site with a letter from Jesse Peterson urging Americans (like me?) to help him stop Jesse Jackson's push for reparations. Here's a sample:

Millions of blacks (not to mention many white liberals) simply LOVE Jesse Jackson. Yet this evil man has done more than any other single person to undermine the morality of America and destroy our country.

Yeah, Jesse has problems, I don't deny that. But is he evil? Has he done more than any other person to destroy us? Hmmmm. The answer would be NO! I can name any number of people who've done more. And I'm confused about the destruction of our country - aren't we still here? And if we're so decimated by Jesse, how are we about to stomp Saddam? Doesn't sound like Jesse's really a problem. The real problem is many Americans refusal to even talk about reparations and affirmative action and national health care and many other issues. Even as millions are without healthcare, Blacks continue to lag behind in employment, education and wealth. What are they afraid of if we talk about these issues? Justice? And no I'm not going to link to the site.

Just a quickie

I've been off for awhile, mothering and writing mostly. Here's something that published today -- a review of the new Zora biography. More work is on the horizon!

Have a C*ke and a smile

Heard today on Marketplace that Russell Simmons and crew are boycotting Pepsi because of "cultural disrespect." Apparently the soda makers dropped Ludacris after some conservative talkers went after them for his sexually explicit lyrics. So Pepsi hires Ozzy Osborne, who's used profanity here and there. That, Simmons says, is a double standard and folks out to quit drinking Pepsi.

But do boycotts work anymore? Or will it just be the glare of publicity that brings Pepsi back into the rap fold? And isn't it interesting that Pepsi shies away from Ludacris and sexually explicit lyrics, but has no problem with (and isn't pressured for) using Britney's Beyonce's body to titillate. Don't say a word, just look at the pretty pictures.

Things to read and see
Bayard Rustin documentary, Brother Outsider, on PBS Monday, Jan. 20. I got this link from Aaron, who I don't actually know, but read frequently. I saw it one day after telling L. about Rustin, who, though an important figure in the civil rights movement, is rarely talked about in classrooms. He was a strategist, worked with King and organized the March on Washington. Why do we hear so little about him? Because he was gay.
UPDATE: Read Nat Hentoff's piece in the Village Voice to find out some of the folks who tried to out Rustin.

Thulani Davis on Malcolm Shabazz' papers going to the Schomburg. The "trove" will likely yield new biographies, speech compilations and other insight on the man and his work.

First Lott, Now Frist
Okay, I'm not so innocent that I expected the new Republican leader in the Senate to be better than Lott. But I am amazed that his biographical spin includes this tidbit: Until he was 37 years old, Bill Frist had never voted in an election. This makes me crazy. Why? What? How could he not vote? I guess, if you come from money, you know where the power really is and you don't need no stinking ballot to get it. Grrr.

Lott-ie Dottie, He Likes to Party
Well it's over, Lott has resigned and all kinds of black people are reportedly cheering. And I'm wondering if it was all worth it. Bush is still president, we're still heading to war and Trent just becomes the undercover racist conservative's new hero. I don't believe he's the devil, but I do understand that he believes what he said and is just sorry to have slipped.

The thing that keeps nagging at me is that if we could get this riled up over the war, corporate scandal or elections, we could really do something. I suppose one could argue that it's easy to get all righteous when there's one person to focus on. I'm thinking that's a big cop out, though.

Holiday Consumption
Last night - yes on 12/20, all last-minute -- I went out to buy some music for a gift. I was looking for gospel on cassettes - which are pretty scarce. Anyway, I went into our nearest Christian music store and it wasn't that busy. Which was a sharp reminder of where our collective heads are at (those of us who *celebrate* Christmas). I naively thought a Christian store would be kind of busy on Christmas. But apparently everyone was at Tar-jé. Then again, I'm not exactly a textbook Christian. More of a backslider, so what would I know?

Zora! Zora!
A new and fabulous (so I've heard) biography of Zora Neale Hurston is out this month. It's penned by Valerie Boyd, an editor at the AJC. There's also a new book that contains volumes of her letters - so more insight, more love for ZNH. I haven't gotten either book yet, but perhaps I'll get into them before the festival.

Missing in Cyberspace
Yep - I've been so far from the blogosphere it's funny. Or sad. I am struggling with time. Juggling motherhood, writing, a full-time job and reading is no joke. I really like blogging and reading blogs - I feel challenged by both pursuits - but it is one of the first things to fall off my to do list. Lately I've been questioning whether or not I am really a blogger, or just a lurker. Since I haven't figured it out yet, I figured I might as well post some things.

Secret of longevity: avoidance of men
Mary Parr, the oldest living person in the U.S., died yesterday. She was 113 years old. Her secret to long life: never getting married. Well, there goes my shot at living to 113.

Tavis on Fresh Air
Fresh Air had an interview with Tavis Smiley on yesterday's show. Tavis, formerly of BET, broadcasts on Tom Joyner, CNN, and now NPR (how many jobs does that brother have?). Well he and host Terry Gross started off with a strange conversation about how black people don't listen to NPR (National Public Radio). I was shocked and appalled. Apparently I am either a) not black or b) having aural delusions, since I swear I've been listening to NPR for years. Anyway, Tavis made some comment about how his friends are more likely to know about the NBA than NPR. Now let's be real here. If anybody else, say Andy Rooney or some other obnoxious white commentator had made the same remark, we'd be calling him or her out of his or her name. It makes me sad to hear an African American make such sweeping generalizations about us -- a very diverse population. Okay - so I've vented. The interview is really interesting, once you get past that moment. I wonder, since we don't listen to NPR, who is listening to Tavis' show? Alright, enough.

Not Much, But Something
I believe my horoscope for today says it all: Taurus for Friday, Sept. 06: You have that rare ability to say the right thing at the right time. Complete strangers are easily impressed, as well they should be. Let your self-assurance carry you forward in a blaze of light. (finally, someone got it right!)


Quickly
Miss N.C. (yes, I am actually referring to the winner of the pageant) is on her way to the big Miss America shindig. Only there are two of the tiara-ed ladies. One is Native American, one is white and there's a nude photo involved. As with the Vanessa Williams mess, I think it's very interesting that a franchise built on exploiting women's bodies can restrict women based on what they do with their own bodies. We're so confused.

Return Ramblings
Yep - we hit the road, or rather the skies, for the Labor Day weekend. Family, baby and the last rainy days of August. On the flight into South Carolina, on a small jet with less than 20 passengers, the flight attendant (the only one) said that if any of us dipped snuff or used chewing tobacco that we should, please, use the lavatory. I have never heard mention of those tobacco products on any other flights. *sigh* Only on a flight to S.C. Oh well, at least when she said that I was sure we were headed home!

Boxer Brother
Here's an interesting discussion of the Joe Boxer ad - you know, the one with the black man dancing in his undies and smiling something fierce - from Kmart. I really thought the ad was bizarre, but it did it's job and got my attention. Now I think: Joe Boxer - guy dancing - KMart. Some folks think it's a bit buffoonish. I'm still contemplating that - I wonder will we ever get to be playful without all those years of history tainting every black grin, quick step and laugh. I think Spike Lee was doing some KMart commercials. Surely this isn't one of them? See one of Spike's ads.

Bars Beat Books
Expect to see lots of stories tomorrow about a new study called Cellblocks or Classrooms. The study shows how states have spent astronomically on jails in recent years, but have not kept pace with education money. No surprise. We'd rather lock 'em up than educate 'em.

Cellblocks or Classrooms? shows that as corrections expenditures have grown, state spending on higher education has not kept pace with increased spending on prisons. Between 1985 and 2000, spending on corrections doubled or tripled in most states, while only one state doubled its higher education spending in real dollars.

Thanks to harambeejournal for passing this on.

Selling Tech To Black Folks
In a column for BusinessWeek online, via yahoo, Roger O. Crockett comments on the Blacks and Technology conferences convened by Tavis Smiley. Interesting numbers: 90% of those logging on from home are white. (Only 5% of African American small businesses have an e-commerce plan, compared to 35% of white businesses). I find their ideas for marketing to us a bit unsettling. I don't really think selling web pages to me as "homie" pages would strike the right chord. Maybe I'm just not black enough.

Starvation in Zimbabwe
The land redistribution efforts in Zimbabwe will probably end up starving thousands. Among all the things black Americans could be talking about, is this one of them? It feels like something we ought to be paying attention to. Then again, it is Africa and you know we gots issues with thinking about any nation on that continent. Anyway, it was wrong for so few to own so much of the land and it seems right to try to correct that. But to do it in a way that simply replaces one elite class with another and leaves people in peril is unconscionable. Here's a profile of President Robert Mugabe. And a short profile of Zimbabwe, the former Rhodesia.

Gay Backlash in Florida
From NPR: Black Churches and Gay Rights, "some of Miami's African-American churches and civil rights activists are campaigning against a local law protecting homosexuals from discrimination." Listen here. According to one woman, part of the motivation may be some black folks need to find somebody who we can be 'better than.' People For the American Way is involved in a lawsuit about Take Back Miami's efforts to repeal the law.

A few hours north, in Orlando, the city doesn't even have the law on the books yet and churches are trying to fight it.
At last count, 6,590 pieces of correspondence had arrived at City Hall, most of them copies of the same form letter. Letters from opponents outnumber those from supporters more than 2-to-1.

If you live in Orlando, send the city commissioners a letter and change those numbers. Orlando City Hall, 400 S. Orange Ave., P.O. Box 4990, Orlando, FL , 32801. Fax: 407-246-2842. Email the mayor: ghood@ci.orlando.fl.us
It feels like Florida is slipping backwards. Perhaps a boycott, like the ongoing NAACP tourism boycott of S.C., would work here. Question is, can Florida tourism take another financial hit?

9.11.02
Naturally, there are scores of events around here scheduled to commemorate September 11. Most of them are prayer/vigil/service/mass things at churches. That's what we do when we grieve or remember heroes. But somehow, the tone of it doesn't sit well with me. The big focus seems to be lifting up any firefighters and police officers, in spite of the fact that most in my area, and probably in yours too, had nothing to do with the rescue efforts at the WTC, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania. And it seems we're still stuck in this knee-jerk, superficial, patriotic fervor that accepts anything and anyone draped in red, white and blue. That's why some folks are salty that the Boss is singing American Skin (41 Shots) on his tour.
All that to ask - does anyone have any alternative ideas about a way to mark the date? I'm not looking for protests, but a way to memorialize the dead, but not fall into jingoism. I'll post any ideas I hear about (so send 'em on!).

Lynching documentary
Orlando Weekly has a piece this week about a documentary on Ocoee, Florida that is getting some attention. Some of you may remember the play I co-authored on the subject of that election day massacre 80+ years ago. Read more about what happened in our author's note. Go here for more on the documentary, Ocoee: Legacy of the Election Day Massacre, by UF graduates.

Terrible history
There is an exhibit at Emory University of photos and postcards of lynchings (yes, people actually sent postcards and photos of murders). The exhibit, Without Sanctuary, is based on a collection and book of the same name. Here are the photos online, here's the book. The Emory exhibit ends this December.

The Ocoee documentary and talk about reparations got me thinking on this. I hope to see the exhibit next month during a reunion trip to ATL.

Opening weekend
That Wes and Ving pic I mentioned earlier - well it opens tomorrow! The film: Undisputed, the story: Wes and Ving fight it out as prison boxers. You might also want to start checking out africana.com's new Black Box feature with a list of "black" movies coming out. I think their definition of black movie is any film with a black person in the cast or as a decision-maker. (For instance, Gold Member is listed - and is that really a "black" movie?)

Sorority Flames: Fire at black sorority house at U of Alabama

Journalists - check this
Here's a new site for journalists of color. Get news and commentary about us in the media from harambeejournal. Send items to harambee_editor@yahoo.com

Oh yeah, thanks, massa
For those of you who missed it, Dinesh D'Souza was on NPR on Tuesday talking about reparations. He, of course, is against them. I wouldn't expect anything less from the guy who wrote The End of Racism. His point this time out is that we ought to be thankful that our ancestors were enslaved. Otherwise we wouldn't have all this western culture and opportunity and we'd still be stuck in the African bush. Um, that argument's hundreds of years old. And it's still an arrogant, patriarchial point of view, even if it's spouted by descendants of former subjects.

He argues that while slavery and colonialism injure those who grow up under them, the systems can prove to be beneficial to the descendants.

You can listen to him here.

Speed posting

Okay, so maybe this is cheating. But time is short these days.

Where's Wesley? In a new movie with Ving Rhames. I'll be there opening weekend. Thanks to George for pointing me there.

Want more of DCF Chief Regier's views. Go here (pdf). Thanks to Gwen for passing that on.

Payback: negroplease has a good discussion with links on the reparations issues. Don't be too simple about it - get some information, then decide. That's what I'm about to do.

Sunday reading

Legal in black and white
Florida A & M University's law school begins classes in Orlando next week. (The first FAMU law school was closed when FSU's law school opened in the 1960s). Here's how the class looks:

Of the law school's 93 students, 41 percent of them are black, 56 percent are white, 7 percent are Hispanic, 1 percent are Asian, and 5 percent did not disclose their ethnicity on their applications.

Okay. So now FAMU has a mostly white law school. Where is this going?

Perils of a baby daddy
Jesse Jackson has decided to weigh in against Jeb's choice to head the Florida Department of Children and Families, an agency that actually loses children. Gov. Bush' choice has come under fire for some ultra-conservative beliefs (see below). The Rev. Jackson has drawn attention to himself once again, but of course his newest title, Baby-daddy, is being used against him. A Bush spokeswoman says:

“For Jesse Jackson to expound upon issues of morality and family, this is absurd. It’s comparable to Bill Clinton volunteering to teach a class on abstinence.”

Jesse should have known that kind of stuff was going to be thrown in his face. What I want to know is, how come it's okay for Bush folks to throw dirt, but not for the Democrats to talk about his druggie daughter and drinking nieces? Oh, now I remember, they have "substance abuse" problems and we're all sympathetic to his family issues.
I still kinda wish Jesse wasn't a baby-daddy. Kind of takes the moral out of his moral outrage.

Welts, bruises and Jeb

Well our esteemed first brother (aka governor of Florida) is in the hot seat. Again. For those who haven't been following this, here's the nuggets. It was recently revealed that the state Dept. of Children and Families has lost children placed in foster care. Most notably, a 4-year-old girl named Rilya Wilson. The head of the agency just resigned and within a week (less than, actually), JEB appointed Jerry Regier of Oklahoma to the post. Well, turns out Mr. Regier was once a part of a group that said corporal punishment that results in welts and bruises is okay. Huh? Now Regier and Bush are both under fire.

Here's what else the group, The Coalition on Revival Inc, has to say:

"We affirm that the husband has final say in any family dispute, insofar as he does not violate Biblical principles; that a husband's headship is irrevocable; and that if the husband is incapacitated, the wife may exercise his authority as his deputy, not as his replacement."

"We affirm that an able-bodied man must make every reasonable effort to support his family continuously ... that the wife may augment the family's income through effective management of resources or, with the husband's consent, by home business; and that in cases of family financial crisis, the wife may, with her husband's approval, accept temporary outside employment, but that the family should view this as bondage, strive to liberate itself and petition God for liberation."

Good to know that I'm only my husband's deputy and that my work is "bondage."

Run, HRC, Run

Speaking of wives and their place. Folks are saying Hillary Clinton thinks her place is back in the White House. She's supposedly working up for a run in 2008, giving her time to do some image-spinning and fundraising. It's no wonder that with groups like the aforementioned extremists that it's taken this long for some viable women candidates to get going. Of course, she'll be held to different standards and being the wife of Bill will probably be a stone around her neck. But it's a good start.

cyberethnic notions

I had a bit of eye-shock the other day when I decided to show someone negroplease. Jason has a new design for the site. It looks cool, but it certainly gave me pause. As would any image, anywhere, of a pickaninny eating watermelon. But Bamboozled is one of my favorite movies, too. Still hard to see those images. If you haven't seen Bamboozled (Spike Lee) and Ethnic Notions (by the late Marlon Riggs), you need to go watch them. Rent, buy, whatever. You might try a library, especially at universities, for Ethnic Notions. Bl**kbuster probably doesn't have it!