| Afternoon Chocolate |
20 Apr |
| Lil Kim – The Definition Of Busted |
24 Feb |
Definition: Adj. 1. busted – out of working order.
2. A way to describe a very ugly female, who can barely be described as female. A “busted” female is not even considered for Mercy Sex simply because they are so ugly.
| Star Trek Through the Eyes of an African American Child and how it impacts the African American Reading Gap |
24 Feb |
Creating a passion for reading is one of the greatest gifts you can give to an African American child. The African American Child book can be the key to enabling enthusiasm for reading in the community. I came to this conclusion not from formal training in any the educational sciences (as matter of record my background is in technology and project management) but as a parent who just happened to be a Sci-Fi fan. Science Fiction opened my eyes to the cross synergies between the African American reading gaps and African American images.
In today’s world media comes at you from all directions. The internet the PC, cable TV, Video Games, IPODs etc. The exposure to all of this media for today’s African American Child is a given fact, you can not avoid it, the fact that is not so obvious is how this impacts African American reading gaps.
CASE IN POINT
I am a Sci-Fi media fan. One day while I was enjoying a episode of Star Trek – The Next Generation on TV with my then 6 year old in my lap when she turned to me and said,
“Daddy why do the black people on the show look strange?”
Before I tried to explain to my daughter that Worf was a Klingon and he hailed from a different planet and that Geordi was blind and his funny looking glasses allowed him to “see” I paused and asked myself
“Why DO the Black people on the show look strange?”
I then tried to look at the screen from the point of view of a 6 year old African American child.
I see 2 black faces and 1 white face on the TV screen:
* The African American character named Worf has the physical facial features of an animal and is from a race of warriors that loves to fight (violent) .
* The African American character named Geordi job is to “fix” and maintain things on the ship (the maintenance man)
* The 2 African American lead actors do not look human (see picture).
* I see the whitest face on the show (character Lt. Data the android ) is the strongest and most intelligent character on the show.
* The android actor who is not human “looks” human.
| Fashion Ads From Ebony Mag. (1970s) |
20 Feb |
| Movie – Who Made The Potatoe Salad? |
16 Dec |
“Michael, a young San Diego police officer, is so thankful that his beautiful girlfriend Ashley has accepted his marriage proposal that he decides to meet her family over Thanksgiving dinner.
But nothing can prepare Michael for what Ashley’s family is about to serve up: Her dad’s a Black Panther, her brother’s a thug, and her grandparents…. well, they’ve got it goin’ on…and on and on! By dessert time, Michael has to wonder whether his first meeting of the prospective in-laws should be his last.”
I haven’t seen this movie yet but I’ll guess that it set black folk back by at least 5 years.
| Black Women & Mental Health |
7 Dec |
At the beginning of the 21st Century African American women find themselves achieving new heights and reaching new milestones. Education and hard work has enabled them to achieve successful careers and respect in mainstream society. Despite this good news, Black women still find themselves lagging behind Whites and other women in health and mental health indices. For example, the depression rate among African American women is estimated to be almost 50% higher than that of Caucasian women.
Black people account for approximately 25% of the mental health needs in this country though they only make up 11- 12% of the national population. To make matters worse, only 2% of the nation’s psychologists are Black.
| Jezebel Stereotype |
7 Dec |
The portrayal of Black women as lascivious by nature is an enduring stereotype. The descriptive words associated with this stereotype are singular in their focus: seductive, alluring, worldly, beguiling, tempting, and lewd. Historically, White women, as a category, were portrayed as models of self-respect, self-control, and modesty – even sexual purity, but Black women were often portrayed as innately promiscuous, even predatory. This depiction of Black women is signified by the name Jezebel.
Read the rest of this interesting article here.
| Black skateboarders say underground lifestyle becoming mainstream |
5 Dec |
It’s no secret skateboarding has become increasingly popular in the black community. Celebrities like music producer Pharrell Williams have moved the culture beyond the scope of just music.
Pharrell, for example, has created not only the “Billionaire Boys Club Ice Cream” clothing line that features shoes and accessories for skaters, but also the “Ice Cream Skate team,” which is comprised of mostly black skaters.
With so many facets of the skateboard genre emerging from urban music and fashion, is this extreme sport experiencing a renaissance or is this just another fad that is here today and gone tomorrow? FAMU students and the community have mixed feelings about blacks skateboarding.
“I think it’s a fad now,” said Sean Howell, a pharmacy student from Los Angeles. “People come and ask me to teach them to skate, especially in the black community. It was more looked down upon like ‘Why you acting white?’ but now with Lupe Fiasco and Pharrell talking about it – it’s more accepted.”
Wynton Campbell, 20, from Tampa agreed there weren’t very many black skateboarders when he started skating at the age of 13. The junior architecture student grew up admiring black skaters like Kareem Campbell and became interested in the culture.
Campbell said back then being black and a skater was considered out of the ordinary. “When I was trying to learn, people would say ‘he can’t skate because he’s black.’” But despite these stereotypes, Campbell enjoyed the sport and continued to skate.
Some in the black community said they feel that black artists who endorse skating are creating positive examples for youth and offering them alternative pastimes that can keep them out of trouble.
“I think it is good (‘the Ice Cream Team’),” said 15-year-old Dion Kelly from Tallahassee. “It is motivation. He has skaters that came off the streets, and it shows that we can do the same thing. I skate to stay out of trouble.
| My Kind Of People – Afro-Punk Culture |
18 Nov |
(Felonie of The Objex)
Afro-punk (sometimes spelled Afropunk or AfroPunk) refers to African Americans and other black people in the punk subculture. Although Afro-punks make up a minority in the North American punk scene, they represent a majority in predominantly black regions of the world that have burgeoning punk communities, such as in parts of Brazil and Africa. There are many punk rock bands with black members, and several with lineups that are all black.
Malene Younglao featured in the picture above
Link to a great article on afro-punks
| It’s Just Different |
14 Nov |
Our hair is the most unique hair in the world due to the rich and varied racial makeup that exists within a person of color. Yet it is this wonderful difference that can make finding a stylist in certain areas of the country or the world that can properly address the needs of our hair a challenge. Our hair is perceived as difficult, when in reality it is simply different.
Hair is hair is hair, made up of the same proteins and cells. The difference lies in the shape of the hair follicle and the density of the layers of the hair strand. Because of this difference, in many ways, our hair is at odds with the European ideal of what is considered a normal styling and care method.
For instance, generally speaking, African American hair Read the rest of this entry »
| Afro PinUp Girl |
13 Nov |
sophisticated take on our Afro Mud Flap Girl…she is demanding and sexy. This charm mixes traditional high polished look with an etched in drawing of a “firecracker dame” who’s sporting a mean afro, garters, hoop earrings and sick 40″s heels….
