I'm leaving on the next train...

This article on African.com by William Jelani Cobb had me thinking of my experiences in this country. Oh, how I wish I had the guts to move on to some foreign land and begin anew. Then again, I think as Paul Robeson did "my people died to build this country and no fascist-minded people will drive me out from it...." Black people have had such a love-hate relationship with this country, and I'm tired of feeling like an outsider in a land that was built on the blood, sweat and tears of my ancestors. What do you think?

McDonald's Stirring Up Trouble

Two radio shows in Washington, D.C., this morning were talking about a new McDonald's commercial, where a couple is eating some of the fast food restaurants new cripsy chicken strips on an airplane. When the flight attendant comes around to clear up the food trays and goes to reach for the girl's tray, she proclaims, "You better don't!" Well, callers on the radio show were upset that McDonald's would use some stereotypical "Ebonics" like that, apparently in an effort to reach Black audiences. The show hosts and callers were outraged and wondered what kind of research they did for that commercial, where they concluded that was appropriate. I must admit, I saw the commercial a few nights ago, and I was startled a bit myself when I heard it. I even tried to give them the benefit of the doubt and tried to rationalize that maybe the actress didn't read the lines correctly. Just maybe, I thought, she was supposed to say something like, "You better.... Don't!" In my scenario, she was started to say something like, "You better stop," but then stopped short and said "Don't" instead. Was I giving McDonald's too much credit? I thought the company was big on diversity. Well, anyway, what do you think?

I'm Black Again, Too

A friend sent me this story from the LA Times. It is something that I have been pondering on for quite a while now. With all the hype about identifying ourselves as being African-American back in the day, I think we might have done a disservice to being "Black and Proud." In fact, today, most of my Black friends are caribbean immigrants to this country. Without the use of the word Black, we are further separating ourselves from one another, and for political reasons, we sure need to be considered one unit. At a previous job, I convinced my editors that we should be using the word Black instead of African-American, because not all Blacks consider themselves African-American. However, whether you are Jamaican-American or Haitian-American, you're still Black. I, for one, like being just "Black." How do you feel?

Female Genital Mutilation

This Agence France-Presse news item about Female Genital Mutilation is really upsetting. It talks about how genital mutilation is still widespread in African, despite being outlawed in some areas. I realize that different cultures have different traditions and rituals that make them unique, but this practice should be outlawed throughout Africa. Women are sexual beings, too, and deserve to experience happy and healthy sex lives. From my understanding, this type of mutilation prevents them from doing so. So man women of color throughout the world suffer from these "ancient" ideas that in an error of Women's Rights should definitely be unacceptable. Human rights organizations that attempt to eradicate this type of violence against women are on the right track, and I think we need to offer them our support.

Tutsi Massacre

I saw this AP story on Africana.com. I haven't really followed much of the conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis. According to the article, "The conflicts between Hutus, who comprise a majority in Burundi and Rwanda, and Tutsis, a minority in those two countries and in eastern Congo, have wracked this corner of Africa for more than a decade, spawning a civil war in Burundi, the 1994 Rwandan genocide and two rebellions in Congo since 1996." I really is sad to see this fighting among people of color in Africa. I plan to follow this more closely. We need peace.

Rick James: Rock Star or Soul Man?

Although most of my blogging thus far has been on serious issues, I felt compelled to include an entry on the Super Freak himself, Rick James, after reading Mark Anthony Neal's column today on Africana.com. I, along with many Chappelle's Show watchers, have witnessed James' comeback after Dave Chappelle spoofed the excessive "Rock Star" lifestyle James has lived. I had my whole family cracking up when I'd call them up on the phone and holler "I'm Rick James, Bitch!" on the phone. (That episode had me laughing for days.)

Neal's comment that "While there has always been this myth of the Rock Star in mainstream music, and the Soul Man in black music, the world never imagined what a combination of the two would look or sound like before Rick James" was really on point. My husband often talks about how he'd be in his parents' basement, sneaking to listen to James "singing the truth about the world he inhabited." I guess he was the Rock Star persona for young black boys of that generation.

Neal's column goes on to say that in an interview with The Washington Post, James said he never thought to record music that would make him more attractive to a traditional pop or Rock and Roll audience. "I have a lot of rock albums in me, but they wouldn't be accepted by black people...and that's my first allegiance," James said. Well thank you Rick for staying true to your people.

Also check out this Rick James' article on BlackAmericaWeb.

Voting Primer Needed

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I read Jimi Izrael's What It Iz: The Ballot or The Bling Bling column on Africana.com today and boy was he right on with this one. It's sad, but true. Just registering to vote is not where it ends.

He talked about how these "music industry types and preacher pimps are trying to awaken and rally a sub-culture traditionally united against the establishment without the proper primer..."

I often tell the story of how I called a friend of mine to find out if her daughter had a chance to meet then-Vice President Al Gore, who I saw on a taped CSPAN show had visited the daughter's school.

She was like: "I don't know who her vice principal is." I told her I said vice president, and she said, "Who, Bill Clinton." I was like, "No, I mean the vice president of the United States; Clinton is president."

She told me she didn't know who the vice president was. At the time, this friend was about 27, her daughter was in like the 5th grade. Now imagine, if the mama don't know, what can she possibly even teach her child.

Granted, the friend is a Jamaican immigrant, but she's been here since she was 9.

Jimi said these "young people get registered at these events, but few know how to use their vote to affect change beyond voting against Bush." He went on to say that "they spend more time watching BET than CNN, and are so politically unsophisticated that they could be cajoled by any charismatic brown face."

He started the column with a Malcolm X quote that "The black man . . . has to be reeducated into the science of politics, so he will know what politics is supposed to bring him in return." This is so true. It is important that we get this "hip hop" generation out to vote, but as Jimi says, "we must educate our new electorate."