Black Boys Can Jump

Take a few minutes this weekend to watch and share this video from the New York Times. Watch as a young boy overcomes ridicule to participate in a double dutch competition in NYC. It made this snowy Friday feel a bit warmer. I invite you all to blow up the comments section with your thoughts and opinions.



Happy Holiday weekend! Read more!

The Gloves, I Mean the Shoes Are Coming Off!!!

We have all heard the phrase, "the gloves are coming off" when referring to a fight. For women, they might say "their nails and earrings are coming off." For journalists in Baghdad, its "the shoes are coming off, get ready for my toe jam." Over the weekend during President Bush's goodbye visit to war zone, an angry journalist took his shoes, turned them sideways, and sticked them straight up Bush's candy...actually he just chucked those things straight to our President's face.



The irate man was later tackled to the floor by fellow journalist and security. Blood was reportedly found at the spot where he was tackled. Apparently, this man was given the business by his own countrymen for giving Bush a little taste of athletes foot.
Clearly unpopular for the current economic crisis and war, the only good thing our President has to show after his two terms in office is good reflexes. He dodged those shoes like Neo in the Matrix dodges bullets. Read more!

Why I'm Broke, Act 1: Origins

Welcome to my new recurring post, "Why I'm Broke," a drama in four (or three, or whatever) acts. Don't worry, it's not actually a play, but it might offer some insight into how to save and manage money or otherwise navigate the current financial quagmire in which we live. Stay tuned for upcoming posts, but for now, enjoy "Origins!"

Protagonist enters, stage right.

I'm broke. I have a job, but I'm broke. I went to a good school, but I'm broke. How did this happen? It doesn't quite make sense by most conventional measures, so I think I will have to do some serious soul-searching and examine my history to figure out why in the world am I so broke, and maybe learn something about money-management along the way.

Many of us are not taught the ways of the financial and banking systems available to us as children. Now, this is often attributed to race, but I would argue that it is more tightly connected to class (although we know the two are cosmically intertwined anyway). Take the book, Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert T. Kiyosaki, for example. In a nutshell, this book explains what the rich teach their kids about money that the poor do not. While somewhat exaggerated and lofty without much concrete strategy as to how one can escape the "rat race," the key point remains: don't work for your money, make your money work for you. It's a very interesting point, and something that wasn't exactly ingrained in my head as a child for whatever reason.

Now that I have a few (meager) bucks of my own, I have no idea what to do with it. I had a Bank of America account, but I had a nagging feeling that it wasn't enough. Until I did some real digging into my Bank of America Online Banking page, I didn't know that the interest rate on my savings account was only 0.25%! What can you do with that? That's basically zero (although, admittedly, free money is free money); I knew I could do better. One solution I have discovered (and advertise on the regular with my friends) lies in transferring your savings into an ING Direct savings account. It has one of the best rates around (2.75%) which turns $1000 of savings into almost thirty bucks instead of three after a year. If you are lucky enough to have savings, don't be fooled by the convenience of Brand-name bank savings accounts; there are better ways to save your money.

While few conventional ways of managing money are actually palatable these days with the financial crisis bearing down on us (who really trusts the stock market right now?), I looked into some other forms of microfinance to discover other ways of saving and managing my money. It might be something that the Poor Dad knows that the Rich Dad has overlooked...

Ever heard of a 'susu?'

When I was growing up, I constantly overheard the word "susu" used in my house. I thought it was the name of a family friend at first, then possibly the name of a gift or object ("I get my susu this week" - I was too young to think otherwise, you nasties). For a long time, I didn't know what it meant, but I eventually discovered that the word referred to an Afro-Caribbean method of microfinance based in Ghana which, in a nutshell, provided an informal means by which families and friends can save their money. As I understand it, the saver deposits a portion of his or her income monthly or weekly into a 'pot' with several other savers, and receives the balance of the deposits on a given month, as designated by a list. The 'susu banker' manages the funds in a bank account and is responsible for handling all of the deposits and withdrawals, in addition to informally checking the credit and reliability of each participant. So, if you and your four friends deposit $100 a week for a few months, you will be able to withdraw $500 once every five weeks, helping to manage your cash flow problems, like buying a new appliance for your apartment, or paying down a backed up credit card bill. If you are at all confused, I have drawn up a very scientific diagram of the whole process. This is proprietary information, copyrighted by IINOI, Inc. All rights reserved, snitches:


I did a little research, and I found that the 'susu' has been a viable source of mortgage funding and inventory purchases for small businesses in the United States (especially in Caribbean neighborhoods like Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn). Some susu 'hands' (the money you can receive when it is your turn to withdraw from the pot) are as large as $100,000 and are primarily used for opening or renovating businesses.

This is just one way that you can try to make your money work for you. Why not give it a shot? If there's one thing I can't stand, it is when the practices of a minority are frowned upon in favor of some oppressor's technology or innovation that isn't necessarily better (see religion, medicine, and/or clothing). If you are in a bind, this might be the way to help get that boost you need to keep yourself afloat while you try to make it through these tough times. Now, there are drawbacks to this methodology, namely a lack of long-term savings, interest, or reliability, and it should only be done with people who you trust. But, in the wake of Reaganomics, Bushanomics, and CreditCrunchanomics (I made that one up), why not give "susunomics" a second look? There's got to be a reason why it is one of the oldest economic practices in the world. Thinking on a macro scale, providing the lower and middle classes with sufficient capital to reinvest in their local and national economies may help us take an active part in righting our titanic failure of a system as it flounders today.

My two cents. (submitted diligently every month into the pot)

(An interesting book on the topic by Paul A. Barton can be found here.)

Stay tuned for Act 2... Investments and Why they Scare me
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Illinois Senate Seat to the Highest Bidder

For Sale: We have this one of a kind Illinois Senate Seat available to you. With this seat, located in Washington, D.C., you can change the world. Former owners of this seat have moved on to do great careers such as... um... well... President of the United States... um... and I'm sure there are more. Act now and you will be able to change laws and give back to your community through our special Earmarks Program. Bidding closes January 20th so please call us at the Illinois Governor's Office ASAP!!! While supply last!!!

Sold to Ms. Hilton! And No, your dog cannot have the other seat!!

If money can't buy you happiness, it sure can buy you power.

PEObama is in the hot seat-or should I say was in the hot seat. Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich has been arrested for attempting to sell or trade former Senator Obama's Senate seat. The Governor was not only arrested on these charges but also with attempting to get the editors of the Chicago Tribune fired because of their criticisms of his governance.

Not only is this hugely ridiculous but probably one of the bigger political scandals of our my lifetime. (For you old heads, I was not alive for Watergate.. so chill.) You could count former D.C. Mayor Marion Barry smoking crack as a scandal but I personally wouldn't.

PEObama has nothing to worry about as all of this selling nonsense took part far away from him and concerns a man who has been recorded calling our President Elect a "motherfucker" within the past month.

Things don't look good for Blagojevich with all of these charges mounting against him. Seems like he should have just called up Barry and shared a puff of the pipe instead.

Head on over to the Huffington Post to read all about the scandal. They have it covered!


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Thoughts on the BCS

Sometimes you don't care about the economy, sometimes you don't care about international politics and sometimes you don't care about PEObama (rarely, I'm sure.. but it happens). Many times all you want to do is kick back and watch some good ol' College Football.

For me, you can only count on me watching College Football 4 days out of the year; The 4 days of the Championship Bowls.

Tim Tebow is ill. And will murk the Sooners.

I, like any semi-College Football fan, has an opinion on BCS bowl rankings and the current system: I hate it. The issue that plagues the brains of the operations however, is how can it be changed? As of now the system relies on a multiple polls including a coach's poll, the official BCS standings and the BCS computer which looks at season match-ups, points and each team's schedule strength. Selfishly, I dislike the system because it leaves for only 4 days of juicy match-ups within 8 days instead of 6 days of intense playoffs over the course of 4 weekends.

If I had my way (which invariably happens to be just a slight twist of Obama's way), a similar voting system would be used to set up a 16 team play-off. Of the 16 teams, 10 of those teams would be the winners of their conference championship and the system would be used to decide the other 6 spots.

I doubt many of y'all who have been following College Football since you could remember would be anywhere near to agreeing with me. Many take the possible fall of Bowl games as disrespectful to the spirit and tradition of College Football and logistically, networks are busy buying future stakes in BCS games to broadcast until 2014 (ahem, ESPN, ahem).

And think about it this way too... if we took the Rose Bowl away, Citigroup would only have CitiField to squander money on!


two times.

Oh, yeah! And expect quaterback Tim Tebow to probably run away with the Heisman this week and have a career day on January 8th and go top 5 in the NFL Draft, depending on how the rest of the NFL season wraps up. And while you're doing all of that, you can remember who told you first.
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Dipset is for Diplomats

While the Civil, Women’s, and Gay Rights Movements, along with their aesthetics and strategies, seem like they burned out a long time ago, the enduring action on Prop 8 has proven that the end of that era was not the end of the issues.

An Exclusive from Funny or Die*

Prop 8 has refocused the country’s attention on homophobia. And while for many, the fight against homophobia is a daily struggle, there are some out there claiming it is returning to the United States and implying that for some period of time it had left. But recently I have been thinking of what it is about the way this fight has been presented that could have given that impression. The impression that the period between the first Gay Rights Movement and now was a sort of gender paradise.

Without sounding like an anarchist, I think it has to do with the weight we put on the law as the source and goal for political and social power – ignoring the potential for our popular culture to proliferate and normalize biased attitudes.

I recently saw a video by hip hop vlogger, Jay Smooth,* where he gives a brief explanation of the phrase “No Homo,” and his own feelings on its use.



That homophobia runs rampant in hip hop is no secret. Cam'ron’s explanation of the phrase “No Homo” and why he uses it, exposes its ridiculous nature and gives a sense of how ideas promoted by popular culture are often absorbed into everyday actions. To be clear, this is not an argument for the Hip Hop Created Homophobia camp. Just like hip hop didn’t invent sexism, black-on-black crime or either of those terms, hip hop did not create homophobia. Brad Paisley’s “I’m Still A Guy,” is a close country parallel to all of the “No Homo” catchphrases. But whether you watch CMT or BET, it is important to notice the ways popular culture hides and normalizes homophobia in jokes, music, cartoons, etc…

Like Jay Smooth touched on, the times when satire and rejection are confused with endorsement are important to think about as well. YouTube has hundreds of “No Homo” home-video spoofs. But for many of them, it’s hard to tell which way they go. And the time wondering if the authors think saying “No Homo” is okay or not okay is the exact space where popular culture blindfolds us to the fact that if we heard the things they are saying without any knowledge of their intentions, we would find them to be offensive.

It is hard to say what would have happened had Prop 8 failed. The absence of homophobia is not equal to the force of anti-homophobic action. In the same way that the ignorance to homophobia does not guarantee its absence. But it is interesting to think of how much credit the law could take for the homophobia expressed in our pop culture, and how much credit pop culture could take for the homophobia in our politics.



*NOTE: In case anyone is interested in citing sources…

Jay Smooth’s blog (illdoctrine.com) is dope and you should check it out. He also has a program on WBAI, called the Underground Railroad – a show on Underground Hip Hop and culture. WBAI (99.5 FM) is “Your Peace and Justice Community Radio Station” and definitely worth listening to.

I found “Prop 8: The Musical” on Kanye West’s blog. He posts photos and videos and some articles of things he likes and that peak his interest in just about all areas, from fashion to architecture to political satire things like Prop 8: The Musical.
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The Power of the Pardon

As President George W. Bush's term comes to a close, he, as is customary with all Presidents since the ratification of the Constitution, has the privilege to pardon those somehow intertwined with the criminal justice system who he deems has either a) served an appropriate length in prison, or b) was wrongly accused and convicted, or possibly c) one of his old buddies. This person then has to admit to guilt and blah, blah, blah. Now, I don't expect that W. will ruffle anyone's feathers with a groundbreaking pardon of some sort, or, heaven forbid, exhibit clear judgment and appropriate use of his authority, but let's take a look at a partial list of people he has already pardoned. The working list can be found here. Keep in mind that Bill Clinton pardoned twice as many people as W. has to this date, and some of his pardons fall under the "extremely shady and possibly bought" category.

By the powers vested in me, I declare you not dinner.

Savings and Loan Scandalers - In the 80s there was a major bust of shady dealings at Savings and Loan companies across the country. Among the men tangled up in this whole scandal were a group of senators, who "improperly intervened" when Charles Keating's S&L was going under in '87. Although it didn't receive much press during this Presidential election, the so-called "Keating Five" scandal of the 80s involved one John McCain, who was later deemed to have "poor judgement" for involving himself with these men. Now, GWB is pardoning not one, but several former S&L execs who have since served their sentences for screwing with other people's money around the USA. Check out Harper's magazine for the short list of executives who profited on bad loans which sparked the downward spiral of our economy today. Nice one, George.

Cocainers - Rapper John Forte of Fugees' fame and association, convicted after being arrested at Newark Airport with $1.4 million of cocaine, had his sentence commuted after serving 7 years of a 14 year sentence... If he truly wasn't given a fair trial and he really, really didn't know about the 31 pounds of coke, as Carly Simon's son claims, then this is a fair pardon, and I hope that Forte will take his message warning of the ills of drug use to schools and cities around the country.

Mandatory minimums for drug cases is one of the worst aspects of our criminal justice system, but the atrocity of this outdated stipulation in the law was neither exposed nor discussed at the time of the pardon, and I don't think it ever will be. It is a harsh and unjust system that needs to be adjusted. Young Jeezy says it best (really? maybe he just says it): when you get more time for selling dope than murder, in this crazy world...


Others - Scooter Libby, Cheney's Chief of Staff and former Assistant to the President, who lied through his teeth about a CIA leak in March of 2007, was semi-pardoned by GWB. Libby's sentence of 30 months was commuted, while all the other punishments (a felony on his record, and a $250,000 fine) remained in tact. Technically, that was all GWB could do at the time, because you generally need 5 years after conviction or release to pardon someone. Still, Libby's only strength was having friends in high places. Any one of us would still be in jail. There are random liars and thieves mixed into the group as per usual, but not too many of serious infraction or high profile.

Gobblers (do you like the repeated -ers? I thought it was clever) - Pecan and Pumpkin were thankfully pardoned from the Presidential Dinner table this Thanksgiving, but you have to wonder how many birds it takes to feed the White House...


Now, for the sake of argument, we can write off George W's Presidential Career as a series of screw-ups, misinformation, and maladjustments to the needs of the American people and the global community. 27% of Americans approve of his job as President, and, according to the man himself, many people voted for Obama as a repudiation of the Republican party and of him. Why not, then, take a step to offer a ray of sunshine into the dark and ominous pit of destruction that you have created, George? Why not pardon people who have made great strides to promote anti-gang sentiments and public advocacy, like the ex-crip Tookie Williams, who was on Death Row with a Nobel Peace Prize nomination before he was executed in 2006? (His bid for clemency was denied by the State of California.) Why not put your faith in the power of forgiveness, and pardon some people who have actually learned from their mistakes and only want to positively contribute to the communities in which they lived? Why not convict, rather than pre-emptively pardon, any offenders of human rights laws, simultaneously admitting your guilt in this matter and trying to do something about the overarching problem?

You can do it, George. You could write about it in the NY Times like Clinton did, and get people to believe that you actually think things through when you make decisions. At this point, people are basically calling PEObama the President, so why not do something truly Presidential while you still have the chance? After eight years of turmoil, it's about time.

Oh, and don't pardon Marion Jones. Cheaters should never prosper. Read more!

Disney in the Bayou

Sometime in 2009, Disney will release its 49th animated feature film. This comes as very exciting news to toddlers and artists alike as it is Disney’s first film to be hand-drawn since 2004. It comes as very interesting news to me since it will be the first ever Disney film to feature an African-American princess.

The movie, entitled “The Princess and the Frog,” is set in New Orleans during the 1920’s Jazz era. The producers felt that after Hurricane Katrina, this was a positive addition to the very violent images that have replaced many of the romanticized notions of the city. A valiant desire, but let’s be real. This is Disney. The same Disney that has glorified and re-written some of the nastiest and bloodiest times in our history – the “discovery” of North America in Pocahontas, all of slavery in Song of the South (a movie that, along with an alarmingly long list of demeaning cartoons, is locked away in the Disney vault).

And while romanticizing and glorifying is Disney’s main MO, I think there is a very fine line to be walked here. For example, I can’t help but wonder if anything historically accurate can or will be included in this film. New Orleans in the 1920’s wasn’t exactly the beacon of free expression and economic bliss for African Americans. Not to mention physical well-being or safety. So the first problem is that a movie about African Americans in the post-Reconstruction South really shouldn’t be for kids.

But even if we were to just take the film as another adaptation of a fairy tale, the history of Disney and the negative iconography associated with blackness don’t cease to be an issue. Originally, the movie was entitled “The Frog Princess.” However, the image of the frog overlaid on black culture (think, among other representations of blackface, Michigan J. Frog) caused such a backlash that the title had to be changed. As were the princess’s name, from Maddy to Tiana, and her role from chambermaid to princess.

In addition, the question of dialect or any hope for an innocuous depiction of the princess’s animal sidekicks seem to arouse a certain unease. As I watched the trailer, I couldn’t help but think that they didn’t quite get it right…



Many who support the movie believe that it’s “about time” Disney used an African American princess in one of its fairytales. Yes, there was the Lion King. But that would be an African princess (who had a minor role) and really, they were lions. The sadder thing is African American remakes of familiar fairytales were very popular at one time. “Coal Black and de Sebben Dwarfs,” produced in 1943, is a 7 minute retelling, complete with an evil queen, Prince Chawmin’ and a jazz soundtrack.

And while that time was a long time ago, it seems like there’s still a lot to unpack. Like, why is this villain a Voodoo Priest? As if we don’t have enough to face about the decimation of native religious practices… Or, who can decide if it’s more of a disservice to ignore the historical context of this film rather than produce a Disney-illustrates-the-Brothers-Grimm type cartoon? Or, should we focus less on it being “about time”? And try to think if there was any time period that would have been a better setting for an African-American princess? Read more!

General Motors is Generally Screwed

Happy December! I have been out of it recovering from too much turkey and a little beer. Some of you may know the symptoms I exhibited as the "itis". I had the ill itis.

No one's dinner actually looks like that!

Moving along, there has been much to speak on in the last week or so.


For starters, President Elect Obama (who I am now gonna refer to as PEObama for the next month and 18 days) officially named some key people to his cabinet. Here's the list:

Senator Hillary Clinton, Secretary of State
Secretary Robert Gates, Secretary of Defense
Eric Holder, Attorney General
Governor Janet Napolitano, Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security
Susan Rice, Ambassador to the United Nations
General Jim Jones, USMC (Ret), National Security Advisor

And no, the last dude isn't the Dipset's and Harlem's own, Your Obama's favorite Obama (see this article for reference), Jim Jones. Even though they're both Capo Status...

---------------General Jim Jones ------------ Dipset Capo Status Jim Jones---------------

The resemblances are astounding!!!

Also in the past week, I had been talking to friends about small banks making a comeback because of an article I read in Crain's New York Business. Basically it said small banks would be willing to give loans unlike big banks who can't monitor them as well and are scared. Also since the big banks always end up selling some loans elsewhere, it may be hard for them to find buyers and they would panic whilst said loan is being lent.

My girl Jen sent me an article from a blog at the New York Times that goes further into this. Joe Nocera, a columnist, has been receiving many e-mails from a high level employee at a Big Bank on how things should change. It breaks everything down pretty simply. It can be especially insightful if you're looking for information on the credit crunch that's happening. Because it is real. Check out the 3 posts here.

Also, upon further searching Joe Nocera's articles, I found this one about the Auto Crisis that is happening right now. With the reduction in car commercials, and General Motors supposedly running through $2 billion a week, y'all need to educate yourselves and figure out how this affects you. Here ya go: Should General Motors go Bankrupt?


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Terror in Mumbai

If you didn't already know, some extremely terrifying stuff is going on in Mumbai. Please pray for all of the dead, wounded, and captured. I hope this gets resolved soon, but there's no happy ending to this story. Please follow this story at bbc.com and stay informed.


This is just another sign of the times in which we live. A woman who was in the Victoria terminal said that the gunmen looked like boys. This is terrifying. They tried to single out Westerners and Americans in the Taj Hotel. Hundreds of people are injured and nearly 200 are confirmed dead.

There will always be terror as long as there is injustice, but this is just another telling sign of the peril that our next administration will face. Diplomacy and peace efforts must be made between the US and India and Pakistan, but how the hell do you do that? In the meantime, we pray for peace.

Stay safe, and Happy Thanksgiving,

Grambo Read more!

Tell 'Em Why You Mad, Perf (#3)

It's Perf and I'm mad again. Mad as hell. The first time I was mad at the conservative media (which, sadly, just recently got voted 'Most Trusted' news), the second time I wasn't even mad at anything but this time I have two beefs with the world... or more specifically the liberal media and California.


Liberal Media
If you direct your attention to the last post on this blog, I mentioned an article from Jack & Jill Politics that my girl Chay drew my attention to. In the article Leutisha Stills, who goes by the name the Christian Progressive Liberal, complains that Obama needs some more diversity in his Administration.

I have issues with this. Now, I don't usually read JJP but I would consider myself to agree with the majority of things on this site. However, this time I could not disagree more. I, too, would love to see more people of color in high ranking positions but I will not tell our President Elect how to do his job.

Barack Obama must choose the right people in order to deliver on the promises that he and his campaign made to the American people over the last two years. He isn't holding a popularity contest. Obama must be able to choose people who can do their best within their responsibilities, no matter what color they are.

I am all for diversity but I think this article's suggestions and calls to President Elect Obama are slightly too much. I do, however, tend to agree with the comment posted within the article at the end. A reader suggested that it would be great if Obama could fill lower staff positions with people of color. This way, Obama is opening up doors for POCs that may not have been opened before; doors in which once entered, POCs can then work their way within the Washington, D.C. political system and open doors for POCs after them.

For the confused: I am not saying that people of color belong in lower level staff positions or that they don't belong in high level administration positions. I think that all of these positions should be filled in a color blinded matter.

I wish Barack Obama luck in the next two months and hope that he can withstand both the liberal and conservative medias.

Here's the post I wrote containing the Jack and Jill Politics article and here's the article.

California
November 4th, 2008. Barack Obama was elected as the next president; great. California passes Proposition 8; not so great.

If you're still confused on the whole Prop 8 happenings, I urge you to check the wikipedia article on it. I'll try to explain it quickly: California already allowed same sex marriages/partnerships to be recognized in the state. The proposition which landed on the ballot on November 4th, asked Californians to take the recognization away from same sex couples.

When the Proposition got passed on November 4th, thousands of marriages and partnerships became null and void.

Originally, I was not pleased with the decision but my anger only mounted after I realized the full scope of the Proposition's passing. I did not realize that a state could void a marriage that it once allowed. That pushed it over the top for me.

I'm not sure exactly where the organizing is centered as of now but I think if you disagree with the Proposition's passing that you should hit up the Courage Campaign's site and sign the petition. There are many states that have not even considering allowing same sex couples to marry. California has been in debates about it for years. It's just so much more upsetting in California because I'm sure that many couples moved to California so that they could marry their loved one and now the state revokes the privledge and voids all same sex marriages. It's a big blow to the Gay Rights Movement. It's a big blow to this country.

If you want more information to decide where you stand on the issue, please check out both www.noonprop8.com/ and www.protectmarriage.com/ which are against and for Proposition 8, respectively.


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New York Times Gets Revamped

It's a bit late now but for those of you who have yet to see the New York Times spoof that has been all over the internet in the last few weeks, here you go:

http://www.nytms-se.com/

The ads are hilarious! Please do take a peek!

I'm not that big a fan of it but it's clever and witty and all of that. It's has the same sort of tone as the liberals who are putting tremendous pressure on Barack Obama to elect a massively diverse staff to his administration; sorta crazy. Here's that article (shout out to Chay!).

I pretty much agree with one of the comments on the Redskins' joke article; go to the Onion for funny because this does not do it.
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There Is Now Sex in the Champagne Room

At the start of this post, I wanted to first give a quick introduction. I'm Christine, the newest author on the blog. I'm excited to share my thoughts with you and hear what you think.
And here comes my first thought now!



When I think of sex symbols, I don’t normally think, “Yeah, Congress.” But if one thing has become clear from this election, Barack Obama is one of the most interesting sex symbols today. The sexualization of the Black figure has a long and complicated history. And the Obamas are not exempt. Their relationship has been analyzed, observed, and speculated upon by everyone from YouTube slideshow artists, to bloggers, to relationship guru-extraordinaires.


But an article in the Huffington Post yesterday really made me stop and examine how the image of the Obamas fits into the long narrative that has shaped our ideas of black sexuality, and in turn reproduced it. (Does that count as a pun?)

The article, entitled “Obama Expected to Have Sex in White House, Insiders Say,” was a satirical piece that reflected on the desexualized political figures of the past and the decline of marital sex in the White House. The article raised some good points. Like how, when it comes down to it, there’s very little that’s sexy about either of the Georges Bush. And although sex has been closely tied to presidential identities before, namely JFK and Bill Clinton, they “did not have the sex they are famous for with their First Ladies.”

Which made me think: Barack Obama’s sexuality is closely tied to his role as a husband. Does that mean he is famous for the sex he has with his wife? And why? Isn’t that supposed to be the most accepted, most un-marked way to do it? Another article I read used the fact that Barack Obama is “a married man who is not afraid share a PDA with his wife” as evidence that he will be a very sexy President.

It’s refreshing to have a break in the image of Black men that constantly links their sexuality to violence or deviance. But at the same time, it seems too accessible. In an extraordinary book entitled Black Sexual Politics, Patricia Hill Collins examines the black caricatures created to contain, explain, and exploit black sexuality. They are terms that are not only familiar they are still used today in various settings: Welfare Mothers, Uncle Toms, Gold Diggers, Mammies, Gangsta’s, Freaks, etc.

So trying to insert the Obamas into such a list sounds like a serious insult. But I think making a big deal of their sex lives or sexual potential is not too far off. It sets the sexuality of the Black masses in opposition to what they have, making it seem exceptional. It also ushers the public into a space that should be private, opening up the possibility for new caricatures to be created—like the “emotionally chilly” participants of a “Vulcan mating ritual” the Huffington Post article describes who have sex because of a “seasonal urge” that can’t be controlled (…which doesn’t sound all that new). Or the portrayal of Michelle Obama as the one who “will attempt to satisfy the urge” once her aides add it to her schedule.

It is hard to say what space is appropriate to redefine the definitions of Black sexuality, but I think it is a topic that requires more sensitivity than it has received. And definitely more honest and thoughtful discussion. As Collins notes, “when reclaimed by individuals and groups, redefined ideas about sexuality and sexual practices can operate as sources of joy, pleasure, and empowerment that simultaneously affirm and transcend individual sexual pleasure for social good.”
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'Bama what?

If there is one thing that Jim Jones ("Ballin'" not Mass-Murderin') is good for, it's coining a catchy phrase or ad lib and repeating it ad nauseam, until eventually the fad dies (concurrently, interestingly enough, with the increase in its use in the 40+ demo). For reference, please see "Ballin'!" or "What else?!" or "Twinkle Twinkle!" or "Flossin'!". In my opinion, Jim Jones is the best ad lib architect since Young Jeezy ("yeeeeaaaahhhhhh"), Jadakiss ("aha!"), Baby ("(pigeon sound)") and, of course, Mad Libs.


Jones's newest endeavor is an off-off-off Broadway play in which he almost gets murdered in a dice game. It's real out there in the streets, supposedly. Writer Toure sat down with the man for The Daily Beast and something very strange took place. Ready?

Jim Jones is not longer going to use the n-word in any of his songs. Kudos, Jimmy.

What is he going to do to fill the void? Replace it with Obama.

Check the article out and tell me what you think. Personally, I think Jim Jones sit in a corner and think about what he's saying. Fifteen minutes Jimmy! And no dessert! And no BAWLIN'!

heh.
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EMERGENCY Culture of the Week!

Last night I went to a Nas concert at the Highline Ballroom sponsored by Rolling Stone Magazine. It was a free event that was extremely well organized and well executed. The place wasn't overly packed, and the crowd was in a generally upbeat mood, despite waiting in line in the sub-40 degree weather for an hour or so. Inside, I was pleasantly surprised by a certain opening act. This woman rocked my world. Her name, you ask? Janelle Monae. Gorgeous, energetic, and painfully talented, she rocked the house as hard as Nas.




I can't really put her style in a box. She's afro-punk/soul/rock/jazz with a MidWest/Southern flavor. I guess I've just created a new box. She's got this futuristic feel (see: "we are not the same, I am an alien") which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I ordered two cups of that chai, ya dig? Her set was fluid, and she turned most of the people in the audience who had never seen her perform into true believers. She's tiny, but somehow simultaneously takes over the entire stage. Highlights were "Many Moons" (see below) and "Smile".



As for Nasty Nas, I'll let Perf give his review when he gets a chance. In the meantime, check out her website, and listen to the song samples provided. You will be pleasantly surprised. Let me know what you think!

Looking for her on twitter as we speak.
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Cornel West and Al Qaeda on Obama

More than anything I want you all to be able to read up on these pieces. This post simply allows you to get to this information easier. I haven't heard much about either of these from anywhere so I thought that I'd share.

The first link comes from the Huffington Post. I don't really have anything to say about it except that I am and have always been scared for Obama to be president. Just read it here and let me know your thoughts.

The second link comes from Lorena. She sent it out to a school associated listserve that I'm apart of. Professor Cornel West appeared on Democracy Now and talked about Obama and the so-called post racial America that the media created. I only got a chance to read a chunk at the beginning of the article but I agree with him. There is no such thing as a post racial America, people. Racism will always exist. We can't keep track of or control racist thoughts and tendencies the way we can keep track of or control guns, per se. It's silly to even consider that a post racial society will ever exist. A post racial America; ridiculous. Read, listen or watch Professor West's interview on Democracy Now here.


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Joe the Plumber Gets A Book Deal

Now if you remember well or have back tracked and read this blog you would see that I made this prediction. Although my usual cockiness wants to supersede my class and allow me to be like "Bla Daw! I said it first!", I will restrain myself. Not because I'm growing up and are leaving those childish antics alone (not that at all) but because, you would have to be dumb to not get a book deal after the happenings of the October 15th debate.



And Joe the Plumber is not dumb; he's very ignorant but he's not dumb.

Joe isn't going to use one of those big labels to either to publish under; he's gonna help out the little guy and spread the wealth. He says, and I quote, "I am not going to a conglomerate that way we actually can get the economy jump started. Like there is five publishing companies in Michigan. There's a couple down in Texas. They are small ones that can handle like 10 or 15,000 copies. I can go to a big one that could handle a million or two. But they don't need the help. They are already rich. So that's spreading the wealth to me," (Got that quote from here). And I'm down with all of that until he tries to justify it with the spread the wealth bs.

And I promise that I didn't make that cover up myself on Microsoft Paint. Unfortunately, that is the actual tentative book cover.

The book is slated for a December 1st drop date. That's in less than two weeks. I wonder with Joe had this book already written, trying to get famous one day and just drop it. To my knowledge, the hardest part of dropping a book is getting the publisher business settled. I doubt the plumber sat down recently and banged the whole thing out. But who knows, maybe the plumber is smarter than we all think.

Oh, and if any of you read it, let me know if it's worth reading a wikipedia summary on.


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Obama and His People.

So Obama isn't exactly Moses. But the President-Elect has people that are at his beck and call--and I'm not talking about the Secret Service.



Two weeks after the figurative fist jab from America approving of our future president, Obama and his aides are well on their way to forming the future president's White House Dream Team of sorts. With Rahm Emanuel taken with the first pick at Chief of Staff, the team looks to be shaping up well. Below is a graphic I found on the NYTimes website.

If you can't read it, as I sure as hell cannot, go here for the easier to read version.

I haven't heard of many of the people on the list but a quick Wikipedia check or Google search will drop your jaw.

Cheerio Barack Obama. And get some sleep brother man; you look tired.


two times.

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Obama Withdrawal

Do you have an eerily empty feeling in the pit of your stomach? Do you wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat because you dreamed that RealClearPolitics shut down indefinitely? Do you fear for the future of our nation because Obama might not win? This message is for you.



For your information, the election happened about 14 days ago, and your symptoms suggest that you are going through Obama Withdrawal. This is a very serious ailment. Other symptoms include extremely sore fingers from over-blogging, a generally lethargic physical state, and an acute sensitivity to the voices of Wolf Blitzer, Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, and Sean Hannity, with the latter giving you cold sweats. Obama Withdrawal cannot be cured with over-the-counter medication or current television. In fact, since you have spent the better part of two years working so hard for our next President (yes folks, he won), this dearth of political coverage related to the election has overcome your body with a malaise that is basically untreatable. If you're like most patients, you've spent all of your leisure money on donations to the DNC, you no longer know your home address (it's not 1600 Pennsylvania Ave or somewhere along the Road to the White House), and you cannot digest solid food, besides, of course, red meat.

It's a shame, really, because you were poised to be such useful citizens of this fine country. Now, you have been reduced to an amorphous blob of useless Sarah Palin factoids and images of ex-Senator-now-President-Elect Obama in Hawaii with his family.

I, Grambo M.D., prescribe the only remedy to this debilitating ailment: this blog. As we move forward, we will be tackling broader issues of identity, and how they manifest themselves in our daily lives. Finally, you will have a voice again, a forum to read and discuss the issues you care about most. We know there must be some other things that you care about, so let us know what you want to see and we'll put it up. Also, we've been receiving a couple college response papers from readers on everything from Prop 8 to education policy to the environment. We will gladly post these, most likely coupled with the unveiling of the new website.... ooooh, the suspense. Stay tuned...

And if you still don't think you can kick the habit, go to superobamaworld.com. You may never return...


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Culture of the Week: Q-Tip

breathe and stop.

Hey guys. I'm back from my trip and here with the culture of the week. This is my "weekly" installment of things that I like that I think you should at least give a chance. Like Obama, for example. We all see how that one worked out :)

Anyway, I just got Q-Tip's new album The Renaissance. I hope you remember Q-Tip from the 90s hip-hop establishment A Tribe Called Quest, and from his solo endeavors "Breathe and Stop" and "Vivrant Thing". I just had a very deep spell of listening to Midnight Marauders on repeat, and I wanted to see what his new stuff was like. One of my friends once told me that Q-Tip's voice meshed so well with hip-hop instrumentals because it was like an instrument itself. The way his sing-song nasal tone flows over the tracks is really soothing, and definitely one of the best combinations to vibe to.

The difference between Tip and other rappers is that he sticks to the fundamentals of music; he succeeds at telling a story (no matter how ridiculous), and doesn't get caught up in anything else. That's what I liked about that era of hip hop, and that's why I've always respected rappers like Q-Tip. Check out this clip and buy the album if you like it. I did. And I liked Obama, if that's any sense of my judgment.

boom bip, bip-boom bip.

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It's Been A Long Time...

I shouldn't have left you without a dope post to read to...
Something like that...

So Grambo posted a video of this dude doing an impersonation of our President Elect. Don't know the dude's name but I'm sure you can google search it. His youtube account is AlphaCat if that helps you at all. All in all, he has a new one. Hilarious. Check it out:



Ummm... yeah.



Also it comes to my attention that it's hard to not talk about why Obama is so baller all of the time. We, the moderators of this blog, do not have to attempt to convince any readers so we're just chilling. I promise that we'll find interesting things to share with you soon. Stay tuned.


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Reader Responses #2

This one comes from C. in NYC. Enjoy!

--

On the good faith that Obama will fix the economy and I will be reimbursed $0.02 sometime in the future through some economic reform something, I’ve decided to share these 2 cents with you now:


I’ve been having a lot of conversations about this amazingly historic election lately. They have given me the impression that most of us are insanely excited, but beyond the excitement I think a lot of us are at a loss of what to make of everything. Emotions well up and we are overcome. And why shouldn’t they? We have been so invested in this, worked so hard, wanted it so badly, donated, campaigned, and known the whole time that we were witnessing something most of our parents and grandparents probably believed was impossible when they were our age. And by impossible, we know they would have meant impossible. As Obama has said several times in his speeches, “This is our moment.” So I have begun thinking about what the response is to that statement. This is our moment for what? Everyone is saying this was the most important election in history. That we are at a critical point. But why? What is it about this moment that is so critical?



We all know the short answers. Barack Obama is (quite literally) an African-American man who is also now our Commander in Chief (or almost). And not because of a pile of hidden chads or a thousand disenfranchised voters. If this were a sports event he’d be getting a ring the size of a fist crusted with jewels for a gloriously decisive and swift game. We The People voted him into office through a democratic process. To me, these short answers bring up a whole host of exciting and, for whatever reason, unspoken questions and ideas:

Does this election expand the definition of “We the People” to include all the people in our borders? How does this affect our ideas of immigration? In a strangely ironic sequence of events, Barack Obama senior willingly immigrated to the United States from Africa and had a son who is now the president. And who is also technically bi-racial. Are we closer or farther from understanding anything about that identity? Or where it fits in our new (?) definition of “We the People?” Do we expect President Obama to take on issues of racial justice? Or is it enough of a victory that he hold the office he holds? How will this affect others who still fight for racial justice? And our perception of the struggle that has already happened? Did SNCC organize so that we could have a Black President today? Or did the desire to see people of color in positions of power come with other assumed conditions – like, when we get to that point, surely we will also have established educational equality… How are those issues affected by this election? Do we change the way we approach them? Certainly we have an infinite number of new ways to inspire the youth of color. So I think we also have to examine the ways in which their identities will be shaped in a way fundamentally different from our own. At some point, we will be very old and they will run the country. Will the things we do now make it unnecessary for them to understand the harrowing effects of racism, homophobia, etc, in the ways we may identify? Is this the starting point towards reforming our institutions in such a way that they lose the biased tenets upon which they were built? What is the argument for reparations? Why is it a current debate and why does the idea of reparations still hold enough meaning for it to remain a debate? Do any of us really understand the concept “post-racial society” or if we’re really in one?

What does it mean that we have an African American (male) President? What does it mean that we wanted something and thought it was basically impossible? I think it’s fascinating that to a certain extent we associated our very concrete votes with some intangible impossibility.. which is now, not even just “a possibility.” It would have been “a possibility” had it been a close race and he lost by 5 or 6 electoral votes and it went into recounts all through the night and CNN's political team worked themselves into a froth predicting and calculating and speculating into the wee hours. Which I think is what a lot of us expected. What we prepared ourselves for. So there’s no doubt that this is an exciting time. And I think it’s a beautiful thing to let our emotions take over because especially in this day we are exposed to a lot of things we are never given the space to feel. So while I would rather Obama begin President-ing right away, maybe it’s good that we have until January to develop a real understanding of what all the changes we want are, what they mean, and how we feel about it.

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Reader Responses #1

We've received some pretty amazing comments in recent days, so I thought I would share them with you all on our main page. It's great to read all of your responses, so keep them coming!

--
from E. in Argentina:

So I'm in Argentina right now (still.) I've been here since July, and it's been so strange and surreal to be so far away from all of the action this fall - especially since it was my first time voting in a presidential election (albeit by absentee ballot, which I sent in about a month ago since the Argentine postal system is nothing if not unreliable.) Anyway, I spent last night with a group of 10 or so American students, crammed into my friend Chris's tiny apartment in a shady neighborhood in Buenos Aires so that we could take advantage of his access to CNN International, broadcast in English - because watching Obama speak re-dubbed via simultaneous translation into Spanish doesn't have nearly the same effect. It was around 2.30 a.m. here when CNN called the results, and Obama's speech ended by around 3.30 our time.

The thing about Argentina (much of Latin America, really,) and especially the student culture at the public universities here (super, super radical, leftist, etc. etc. everything people claim that Brown students are but they're actually not,) is that they're not all too fond of the U.S., and understandably so, given the past 8 years. As an American abroad, prior to last night, I've often felt kind of ashamed of my country when talking to cab drivers or Argentine students at the University of Buenos Aires. To admit that you're from the States is almost like a taboo sometimes.

But last night changed that. For the first time since I've been down here, I honestly felt so incredibly, incredibly proud to be an American, and to have taken part in this historic moment. America really came through last night, and that's something that I know I can be proud of, and that the radically cynical Argentine students can't take away. Sure, we might not be as socially progressive as some of the recently-elected Latin-American governments, but last night, we did something right, and there's no questioning that.

BUT all does not sit entirely well with my American pride. The CNN international broadcast only covered the results of the presidential and congressional elections, and offered zero coverage of the status of the various ballot initiatives that were on the table yesterday, so it wasn't until I arrived home at 4.30 a.m. that I found out via my boyfriend via Skype that all of the anti-gay ballot initiatives in California, Florida, Arizona and Arkansas had passed. Needless to say, it was a difficult moment. So I guess the problem that I'm facing now is that I want so, so badly to be proud of America, but I feel like I can't entirely give myself over to the overwhelming sentiments I felt last night. Waking up this morning and facing those realities - the right to marriage taken away in California, the right to adopt eliminated in Arkansas - makes it hard to fully stand behind my country right now, as much as I would like to. I'm hopeful for the our future under Barack, and last night, from 5000 miles away, I felt more pride and more a part of our country than I ever have before, but at the same time I can't help but feel like I'm being excluded, like America doesn't want me or the gay community to take part in this moment. For me, last night was both an incredible victory and an incredible loss.

I don't know, I guess what I'm trying to say is I'm proud, but conflicted right now. Read more!

I'm Actually Not Mad

My 'Tell 'Em Why You're Mad, Perf" post has been in hibernation for a few weeks but don't think I got lazy and forgot about you all. My mind has been focused on the presidential election and more recently in the jubilation in our election of Barack Obama as our new president. Also, I'm actually not mad.

The purpose of this post is not to tell you about my feelings; that just serves as a layer so that this post isn't that short. My girlfriend sent me a link to the pictures of Barack Obama and his family and friends on election night. It's totally different looking at the photos instead of the videos. I did not feel the need to tear up when CNN Breaking News flashed across my screen, as I did at my polling place or just as I looked at the photos from that night. Here's the link to the photos.

The first family showing each other love?!?! What's this?!?!

If Obama changed Black History Month to a longer 31 day month, I wouldn't be mad though. Since America already thinks that race relations come with the job.


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What This Means

Barack Obama's historic rout of John McCain to become president has a lot of people... not talking. I mean, all of us liberal minded/black/change wanting/Hawaiians/mid westerners celebrated and let our happiness known shortly after Obama's win but what now?

Now we will actually have a black president. This fact will be the solution to so many problems yet it will also create new, unprecedented problems that our nation and the world must face.

So the nation now trusts a black man to make decisions that affect their economy, their health insurance and their national security but how much will that affect my chances of getting a cab? None I think. USA Today happens to disagree. In this article about our future president and race relations, the paper states that "Two-thirds of Americans predict that relations between blacks and whites 'will eventually be worked out' in the United States". Well, that would make sense if two thirds of Americans was taken from a very diverse pool however, America itself isn't as diverse as it seems. The Census taken in 2005 tells us that about 80% of Americans were white, about 13% were black and about 2% were mixed race. The Americans that made predicitions with USA Today may be very representative of our population however, that does not make it a diverse view.

I am an extremely optimistic person. One of the most optimistic people that I know. Many people have been publishing articles or making speeches or delivering sermons on race in the Obama era and they have been very optimistic in terms of where America's future concerning race is headed. I do not see eye to eye with this optimistic view of Americans finally ending racism.

Barack Obama and the democratic run senate can be pressured to create laws affording more opportunites to people of color in this country but these laws cannot be enforced in an effective way. First of all, there will be issues if the first black president happens to be the one who attempts to enforce Civil Rights. Second, many will think that the country is too progressive to even have laws to enforce against racism. And third, if these laws ever do come into affect, racism is kinda like jay walking; we have laws againgst jay walking but everyone does it anyway.

President elect Barack Obama has way too much on his plate right now. A devastating economic crisis that President Bush will hand over, a war in Iraq that he and his administration have to end and a horrible American foreign reputation that again, as the other two aforementioned issues, were started by his predecessor. Race is just as important as these issues but unfortunately Obama had a to do list as president before he even announced his candidacy in 2006.

It's sort of like father coming home to find the mess his child left. And guess who get's blamed if it's not cleaned up?


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International Perspective.

Here are a couple of links to some international responses to the Obama victory. Seeing how I am currently abroad (bom dia from Brazil), I thought I would drop a couple of bullet points.

• I found out on the plane. I was deep into watching "Heroes" at about 4am when the announcement blared over the loud speaker: "Just in case you were wondering (duh, of course), Barack Obama has just (just? yeah right) won the Presidency of the United States." Everyone cheered! I yelled, groggily, "BOO YA!" Not my best work, but whatever.

• People over here love Obama. Notable quotes:
• "America is saved, now!"
• "Go EUA!"
• "Obama is a good man, I think he will make things better"
• "You look like Obama!" Why, thank you.
  

• I still can't believe it. If you can't either, click here and scroll down.

• When the East Coast of the USA falls back one hour for Daylight Savings, Brazil springs forward one hour. That means you can have a time difference of 1, 2, or 3 hours from NYC.

• I'm tired, but looking forward to going back to the states to feel the vibe. Hope it hasn't worn off already.

• Int'l responses from al jazeera.
  

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Food for Thought

Two nights ago, I witnessed one of the most incredible moments in U.S. history. Barack Obama was elected the 44th President of this country. Many people celebrated on the streets, people celebrated in churches, some people even cried. I simply clapped and smiled. I have supported Barack Obama for the past two years. He was the underdog that overcame all the odds. I'm just starting to realize how big of an accomplishment this is. Throughout his campaign, it was stressed how significant it was to have a black man run for office. But after years of fighting for equality, after years of convincing people that the color of your skin does not define who you are, I was hoping that Obama's race would not be stressed as much. I am a person who sees past the color of one's skin. Both my parents come from Africa, so they were not affected by racism as much as those African Americans who grew up in the segregated South. Their ideals and values are different, though we are all black. Then I spent most of my summers being raised by a white family in New Hampshire through a program called the Fresh Air Fund. There was no diversity in this state; I swear at times I thought I was the black population. But its incredible to look back and see how this one family can welcome a complete stranger who is black into their home and treat me with love and respect. This family opened doors to me, and helped me get into one of the best boarding schools in the country, where I met the two other bloggers on for this site. This family treated me like their own, and we are truly family now. Living with a white family after spending most of my life in black Hispanic neighborhoods gave me an early revelation that we are all the same. So when I see Obama, I don't see a black man or a "black" president. I see a great man who believes he is ready to do great things. I see past the skin. Isn't that what we all want anyway, to see pass the surface?
Sometimes I feel like I let my experiences blind me seeing the other side. Like sometimes I can never understand how an African American man can say he would never date a white girl. I can never understand how people still think that I won't get the promotion I want because of the color of my skin. Its sad to hear that black parents won't use programs like the Fresh Air Fund to send their children to places like New Hampshire, just because the host family is white. Its depressing to see how many doors can be open to so many individiuals if they could see past the skin. Seeing this ignorance, this lack of love, this lack of knowledge really bothers me. After everything I have learned and experience, I wish I could reach out to more people and just educate them. So while many believes that Obama being a black president was huge, I shrugged it off, thinking that it wasnt a big deal. One day I hope its not a big deal. Its hard understanding that not everyone has had the same experiences as me. For some who might have grown up in times of segregation and racism, of hate and oppression, I understand how big Tuesday was for them. I understand those tears I saw coming down an elderly ladies face at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the church of Martin Luther King. I understand how important that night was for Cecilia Gaudette; At 106 years old, to have lived through so many different decades in American history, to cast that vote for an African American man. Even today when there were recent plans of an assassination attempt on Obama and other African Americans, it is evident that there is still hate based on race. For an African American to be voted as president, I now see that it is a lot bigger than I had imagined.
Martin Luther King wanted blacks and whites to hold hands like brothers and sisters. I look at the election of Barack Obama as president of the United States of America as a positive step in that direction. This country still has a long way to go. I wish more people has experiences like mine, but that can't happen for everyone. All I can hope is that Barack Obama's time in office opens new doors on how we all view one another. I know that his accomplishment can allow young African American to dream of being President and knowing that its possible. I hope that if and when we do have another African American President, I hope that we don't give him the label of the "2nd black" president. Rather, I would like to see more strides of leaving that race label out, and just looking at him/her for the accomplishment of becoming simply President.
So congrats to Barack Obama, I hope his accomplishment inspires a nation into a new era, a era of little ignorance, of little hate, of no skin color, of more equality, of more peace, of more love.
Lets make it happen! Read more!

Obama?! Word?!

So I can't promise that I'll write a post later on today but check back anyway! I might have to take the national black people holiday that we all got the memo about. (If you didn't get the memo, we'll be coming around later to collect your black cards).

Honestly though, I love Barack, I love America and I love you all. Thanks for making it happen.

Congratulations to Barack Obama and Joe Biden the president and vice president elects of the United States of America. Now, let's move on to the real issue at hand...

Reparations!

Anyone?!?!?!?!


two times.

P.S. Shout out to my dude Jake (whose apartment I watched the momentous occasion at) for the pic. You can find it and more at his blog: www.jakelevine.net Read more!

The Voter Experience (Grambo)

I got up at 6:20, bright (dark, really. damn daylight savings!) and early. I struggled to get myself out of bed to shower. I got dressed listening to MSNBC's "Morning Joe", which gets on my nerves every now and then, mostly because Joe Scarborough is generally obnoxious. I had my usual breakfast and then sat down in front of the TV. I had afforded myself a little bit of time because I told my boss that I would be voting, but that wasn't why I wasn't moving to head to my polling location, which happened to be my old elementary school. I felt the heavy burden of civic duty (roll your eyes, it's fine. Perf said that he almost cried!) and I realized that I was actually going to pull the lever for Obama. Shoot. And to top it all off I couldn't find my glasses.

I got to the polls and a woman directed me to the registration table and then my ward's line. Listening to Lupe Fiasco and swaying anxiously, I felt like I was going to explode. "Hurry up! It's not that hard!" I thought as the lined inched forward. Behind me I hear a noise and then a bunch of people gasp. An elderly black man's walker had just flipped and sent the poor guy tumbling down. A bunch of people went to help him up and brought him water, etc. He was fine. I hoped that would be the only exciting thing that happened here.

As I was called under the curtain, I could finally see it right before my eyes. BARACK OBAMA for president, it read. Then, a slight panic. I had never voted in person before, and I had no freaking clue how to enter my choice. It was an electronic machine, but not a touch-screen, and the big wall of choices didn't really indicate what to do. There was a series of numbers below the wall, but I couldn't figure those out either. Ha. So much for civic duty. After regaining my breath, I realized that all you had to do was push the little box under the candidates name. It lit up. Relief. I chose all the other democrats down the line (with the exception of my old soccer coach. gotta support the team!) and pressed submit. Ding! I was done. Phew. I could now partake in the school bake sale.

Now, we wait.

If you would like to share your election day story, please leave a comment! We would love to hear from you! Read more!

The Voter Experience (Perf)

I set my alarm for 5:35 am so that I would be able to wake up and vote. I had been told by older friends and my parents that it use to take them 15 minutes tops to vote; however, I decided to ignore this information.

I hop out of bed somewhat refreshed because this glorious day had arrived, somewhat sluggish because it was 5:45 am (you know a brother has to hit the snooze button at least twice) and somewhat astonished that even I could wake up that early. The astonishment left me quickly once I realized the task at hand.

I opened my door to see my roommate who had passed out on our recliner in the living room.

"Son, let's do the damn thing!"

It took him a bit to put it together but we were on our way out by 5:53. Public School 138 is only a block from our Crown Heights residence so we were on line by 5:55. And it was nothing short of amazing. Had we gotten there at 6:00 instead, we would have been at the end of the line that went from the middle of the block at the school's entrance to the end of it.

After being on line for about 10 minutes, we started hearing people talk about how great this was; to have this many people care, to have this many people vote but more specifically, to have this many people of color vote. I took every breathe as slow as I could so that the moment would last longer. It sounds pretty corny but I've never felt that way before. And just as I thought that the moment couldn't get any more theatrical, an older black man pulls up in his coupe and begins videotaping the people on line. What a good idea, I thought, I should have carried my camera along for the event.

He then reached in his car and turned on his sound system. Sam Cooke's "A Change Gon Come" blasts out from his car speakers. It was one of the most moving things that I have ever witnessed. Many of the voters started singing, humming, yelling out and agreeing with the song's message. I was on the verge of tears but held back because I wouldn't have been able to stop myself.



We finally get inside and have more lines to wait on. (Make sure you know the Election District you live in because it'll make your voting experience that much easier. You can do so by typing in "Election District [your state's name]" into any search engine.) The actual voting was the easier and least stressful part of the process. You pull the lever, twist your knobs and pull the lever back. We left at about 6:50 and went on with the rest of our mornings.

When I got off of the train for work this morning, I decided to get 6 newspapers: New York Times, New York Post, Daily News, Wall Street Journal, USA Today and of course, the free Metro paper. I figured that it'd be cool to look back on and possibly save for my children (crazy, I know). Tomorrow I plan on buying the same versions of all of those papers to see the before and after of the election; hopefully tomorrow's papers have America's decision.

I'm excited about it all. I hope you are too. Please get out there and vote if you haven't already; it's exhilarating!


two times for Barack Obama.

P.S. Have fun bobbing ya head to Obama's favorite music: Barack Music Read more!

Please Vote on November 4th, 2008

I remember when I was going to boarding school in New Hampshire. I had already gotten in to the school and had accepted the invitation. Being from Harlem, New York, I didn't know anything about New Hampshire... so I did what any curious 13 year old boy would do: I searched the internet.

I didn't know exactly where to start though, so I typed in "Black New Hampshire" into the yahoo search bar; I mean, I'm black, I wanted to know about New Hampshire... it was pretty simple to me. I found out that things were going to change pretty drastically with my new living arrangements.

There were no trains! There were no bodegas! And the most scary of them all... there were no black people! Just trees and white people! I have no issues with white people but being 13 or 14 years old and going to live on your own in the woods as a minority (which I had never been in school until high school) could be a bit much.

I was afraid so I told my mother and she warned me of what could be awaiting me in New Hampshire. She told me of her tough college experiences with race in Buffalo, NY; how she was called names and the overall climate of the place. I didn't like it and didn't really get it but I did realize for the first time that I was black and would be treated differently because of it.

In high school, I was still a bit naive. I did not really learn anything more about black people that I hadn't already learned in elementary or junior high. I guess you could say Shakespeare's Othello gave me a new perspective on race relations (and it still remains as my favorite piece of literature today). College is where I began to be interested in why my blackness served as a weakness. If I couldn't get an answer to my questions, I wanted to stuff my brain with as much possible information that could possibly lead me to conclusions about why these type of prejudices exist. I have no answers now but I do understand that things may be changing slowly but surely.

In 2004, when Barack Obama spoke at the Democratic National Convention as the keynote speaker and the CNN commentators suggested that the first term senator may be a potential candidate in 2012 0r 2016, I laughed. I did not believe that I nor my far from existing children or even their children would even live to see a black candidate be nominated by a major political party in this country. Boy, was I wrong.

What little faith I had in the American people... and how much that faith has changed since August 2004.

I spent my entire college career under a president that I didn't vote for and dislike a great deal. His re-election was hard and unbelievable for me. I loss a little bit of hope. As a first year college student, I thought that the American people were agreeing to war; a war that I knew would just lead to many innocent people dying. I did not know much about politics now and I know only slightly more now but I do know that we made a mistake in 2004.

And I also know that we have a chance to best amend that mistake tomorrow, November 4th. If you want change, you have to act for it. I am nothing like an activist. I couldn't organize my daily schedule let alone an agenda and a group of people. However, I believe that if we all accept our right to vote as an opportunity to take action and a duty for ourselves, our friends, our families and all people, we can and will have justice on November 4th.

Tomorrow, I embark on my first live voting experience (I voted through absentee ballot in 2004). I ask that you join me in looking down within yourself and discovering what you believe in and are willing to stand up for. You don't need to be politically savvy to make a difference. You don't need to be politically active to make a difference. You don't need to know what party you're in to make a difference. All you need to do is vote. Tomorrow, the citizens of this great country are all equal; we all have one vote. And if you treat that one vote as your stake in the future of this country and this world you will be at peace with yourself when the United States of America makes the right choice for its next president.

November 4th, 2008 has the potential to be the greatest and most influential day in the younger generation's lifetimes. Please take part in this most historic election so that you can be able to tell your children and grandchildren that you were apart of history. If you don't know where to vote, please check here. I thank you for your time.


two times.

My alias is Perf and I support Barack Obama for President of the United States. Read more!