I remember writing a super controversial article for my high school newspaper, back in the day, after learning that we had a “regular” court and a separate minority court for homecoming.  Apparently, it was the school’s answer to trying to get some minority recognition during homecoming.  No, I didn’t attend a high school that had bussing or anything like that.  Rather, I grew up in a suburban utopia of sorts.

At the time, I was president of our black student union as well, and let me tell you the uproar that ensued after that article was published (a journalist’s dream of course).  To my surprise, the most peeved people were the advisors for the Black Student Union because they fought to have this “arrangement” in the first place.  My goodness, I fell drastically out of their favor after that…something that always surprises me about black folk.

Anyhoo, this story goes on and on, but after negotiations with the SGA, school principal, and the Black Student Union, they agreed (they and NOT me) to keep the court only if there wasn’t minority representation on the “regular” homecoming court.  Some fancy flavor of affirmative action, I guess.

…Well, just when I thought that was as bad as it got way back in the late 80s early 90s, I read this article about Charleston High School in Mississippi holding its very first integrated prom.  For realz??  In 2008??

Check out these excerpts from NPR’s Bryant Park Project blog~

Mississippi integrated its public schools in 1970, but segregation still haunts parts of the culture. One example of this could be found at Charleston High School. The Delta town had maintained a system of separate proms — organized privately — for black and white students…

A photographer…says people in Charleston didn’t question the segregated dances…

Read the full article here- Mississippi School Holds First Interracial Prom

They also cite The Jackson Free Press article for inspiring this story- [Kamikaze] Prom Night

Also, stay tuned for a documentary on the occasion produced by a film crew out of Canada called “Prom Night in Mississippi”

…until TODAY, my friends.

(source of image from businesstravellogue.com)

I’m half asleep listening to CNN trying to make sure Armageddon has not set upon our planet while I catch my zzzz’s, and I hear this story about our right to refuse to show id at the TSA security checkpoint is ending 6/21 (today).  Ummm, I never knew that was an option.  The catch was if you refused id, you had to be subject to a secondary screening.  I don’t know about you, but I’m not so sure I’d go through all of that just to exercise my right, but CNN cites Univ of Kentucky Law School student Nick Kloiber as someone who thought it was worth it.

Read the entire article here- Flying Without and ID is Coming to a Controversial End

I love saying “Arrra”…it’s so DC to me.  8-)

In the famous words of dearly departed Johnny Cochran, “if it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.”  And that, my friends, is what happened for Mr. Arrra Kelly just a few days ago.  I was on the anti-Kelly train, but as I read all of these reports, I can only imagine that it’s so easy to insert reasonable doubt in this daytime drama of a tale.  Here’s just a sampling of news stories.
* * * * *
The video allegedly features Kelly with the then 14 year-old niece of Sparkle, one of the singer’s former artists and proteges. Since his arrest, Kelly has vigorously denied that the man in the video is actually him. The alleged victim and her parents have also publicly denied that she is the person on the tape. The video, which was widely bootlegged and made available to the public, furthered wide spread debate and opinion on whether or not the man in the video was indeed Kelly…

…The R&B thug also faced 12 counts of child pornography in Polk County, Florida in January of 2003 after police searched the singer’s home and found a digital camera containing 12 images of an underage female. Three of the images were said to show Kelly involved in a sexual act, but those charges were later dropped after a judge ruled that the evidence was seized illegally… (source:  www.sohh.com)
* * * * *
…He has previously settled lawsuits brought by two women who accused him of having sex with them when they were minors. Documents have also shown that Kelly married the late singer Aaliyah, his former protege, when she was just 15. The marriage was later annulled… (source:  cnn.com)
* * * * *
…Expert witnesses for the prosecution said that the VHS tape, whose origin is unknown, was a multigeneration copy but had not been tampered with. Prosecutors also pointed out how the man on the tape turned his back briefly to the camera. It was less than a quarter of a second, but enough time to see a mole on his back — just like the one Mr. Kelly has.
While 14 witnesses for the prosecution identified the girl in the tape, and some identified Mr. Kelly as well, only one tied them together in a sexual relationship. That was Lisa Van Allen, who testified that she had a three-way sexual encounter with them….  (source nytimes.com)
* * * * *
Well Arrra, Mr. Modern Day Michael Jackson without all the plastic surgery, continue to sing your Jesus praises as you flirt with your persona of inspirational gift and freaky pimp daddylicious.  I’m not a fan of him really, but occasionally he has put together a few greats on both sides of the fence he rides.

Just like OJ, we’ll just never know…

When I saw the picture of Tim Russert on the news today with “(1950-2008)” written under it, I had a moment of disbelief.  You know how your mind starts trying to make logic of its own during those few moments of denial?  Then, I stopped to listen and heard the news I was dreading.  Tim Russert passed away today of an apparent heart attack (information is not consistent as to the specific circumstances surrounding his death).

from USA Today…

WASHINGTON — Tim Russert, the award-winning NBC political pundit who communicated his love of campaigns and elections to audiences of millions, died today of a heart attack at 58, after collapsing in the network’s Washington bureau. He had been recording voiceovers for Meet the Press.

A shaken Tom Brokaw, the former NBC anchor and Russert’s longtime colleague, announced the death. He called Russert “one of the premier journalists of our time … This news division will not be the same without his strong, clear voice. He’ll be missed, as he was loved, greatly.”

Brokaw said Russert had just returned from a trip to Italy with his wife, writer Maureen Orth, and their son, Luke, to celebrate Luke’s graduation from Boston College. “This was one of the most important years in Tim’s life for so many reasons,” Brokaw said. “He loved this political campaign. He worked to the point of exhaustion so many weeks.”

Russert was “a true child of Buffalo,” Brokaw said, adding he had been back there just last week to help move his father — Big Russ, the subject of one of his books. “Tim loved his family, his faith, his country, politics. He loved the Buffalo Bills, the New York Yankees and the Washington Nationals.”

As host of Meet the Press since 1991, Russert interviewed the major figures in American politics. He was a fixture on election nights. In a high-tech age, what many remember from Election Night 2000 is Russert writing on a whiteboard, “Florida Florida Florida.” He turned out to be so right that TV Guide eventually picked that as one of the “100 Most Memorable TV Moments” in TV history. He also originated the “red-state, blue-state” description of the nation’s partisan divide, according to The Washington Post.

Let this be a reminder to all of us not to take life for granted because you never know when the Good Lord will call us home…  My condolences to Russert’s family which includes his own father.

NBC’s “Meet the Press” on Sunday mornings will simply never be the same again…  I wonder how they’ll handle this weekend’s show.

If you don’t know already, I loves me some poetry.  I read it and occasionally write it.  Throw in some feminism, activism, natural naps, jazzy tunes..and some fragrant candles and that’s a recipe for the closest I can get to woman on woman love.  Yolanda Cornelia Giovanni (you know that’s black name, eh?) …aka Nikki Giovanni, today I thank God for blessing us with your words.

Here are some links so that you can educate yourself and celebrate the birth of a phenomenal woman, poet, spoken word artist, and activist.  Ooh!  I need to jump on Amazon and commence to updating my collection with some of her work.

Wikipedia bio (good starting point for those of you less familiar)-  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nikki_Giovanni

 interview with Nikki Giovanni- 
http://www.writerswrite.com/journal/jul00/giovanni.htm

Nikki Giovanni on cd-
http://nikki-giovanni.com/irecords.shtml

…and here’s just a taste of Nikki in her love poem called “Resignation“…

I love you
because the Earth turns round the sun
because the North wind blows north
sometimes
because the Pope is Catholic
and most Rabbis Jewish
because winters flow into spring
and the air clears after a storm
because only my love for you 
despite the charms of gravity
keeps me from falling off the Earth
into another dimension
I love you 
because it is the natural order of things
I love you 
like the habit I picked up in college
of sleeping through lectures
or saying I’m sorry
when I get stopped for speeding
because I drink a glass of water
in the morning
and chain-smoke cigarettes
all through the day
because I take my coffee Black
and my milk with chocolate
because you keep my feet warm
through my life a mess
I love you 
because I don’t want it 
any other way
I am helpless
in my love for you
It makes me so happy
to hear you call my name
I am amazed you can resist
locking me in an echo chamber
where your voice reverberates
through the four walls 
sending me into spasmatic ecstasy 
I love you
because it’s been so good
for so long
that if I didn’t love you
I’d have to be born again
and that is not a theological statement
I am pitiful in my love for you
The Dells tell me Love
is so simple
the thought though of you
sends indescribably delicious multitudinous 
thrills throughout and through-in my body
I love you
because no two snowflakes are alike
and it is possible if you stand tippy-toe
to walk between the raindrops
I love you
because I am afraid of the dark
and can’t sleep in the light
because I rub my eyes
when I wake up in the morning
and find you there
because you with all your magic powers were
determined that 
I should love you
because there was nothing for you but that
I would love you
I love you 
because you made me
want to love you
more than I love my privacy
my freedom my commitments
and responsibilities
I love you `cause I changed my life 
to love you
because you saw me one friday
afternoon and decided that I would 
love you
I love you I love you I love you

` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` ` `

below is an interpretation of this poem taken from http://www.cs.rice.edu/~ssiyer/minstrels/poems/1624.html

[Note: The reference to the Dells in line 47 is to "Love is so simple"
a 1968 song from their album 'There is'. According to Giovanni, the
rhythm of this poem is the rhythm of the song.]

All right, if we have to give in to the Valentine spirit and get all
teary-eyed and maudlin about love, we might as well do it properly.

What I've always loved about Giovanni is her attitude - the deceptive
simplicity of her lines, the tone not only conversational but intimate
- so that reading her is like hearing yourself talk to a friend.

This is a superb example of that. It's not that the lines here are polished
to perfection, it's precisely that they wouldn't be if someone were really
saying this out loud, and what they lack in finesse they more than make up
in energy, in momentum, in sheer street-smartness.  And then of course, just
when you're beginning to run out enthusiasm, there's that one beautiful
little line (because only my love for you / despite the charms of gravity /
keep me from falling off the Earth) that keeps you going.

The other thing I like about this poem is the way Giovanni both expresses
the absoluteness of her love and (refusing to laud it for more than it is)
laughs at herself for it. Love is not a magical communion of souls here; it
is a bad habit that you can't get out of, a necessity, something you're too
used to to even question, much less give up. It is a love that gives you
both intense joy and honest suffering, it is deeply flawed and therefore
deeply personal. And this is not, in Giovanni, a cynical point of view, it
is a warm and real one.

If there's such a thing as being helplessly in love, this is it!

Aseem

I’m still a bit of a novice in blog-land, but since debuting in February this year, I have been inspired by how much of a voice the black community has through blogging.  I can remember countless nights of clicking and reading and clicking and reading from various blog lists just to check out what people are saying.  However, I am most inspired by those who have taken on a unique voice such as Black Gives Back.  Every time I visit, I learn of so many accomplishments from celebrities and non-celebrities alike.  How often have you said or heard someone say something as simple as black people don’t tip?  We have somehow taken on the persona of being capitalists or just frivolous with cash once we get a few pennies in our pocket.

Not so, my friends!  Thanks to blogs like this one, you and I can read about how much black philanthropy is in full affect.  You’ll find inspiring stories sprinkled throughout like the one about a black youth polo team from Philadelphia who is traveling to Nigeria to compete (click here for the full story).  I didn’t even know we had black people, nevertheless, young black people playing polo.  For realz!?!  You go boys!

Take a lookey poo and tell your friends, especially your white ones who think they’re the only folks out there scooping up black kids in Africa or trying to save Darfur.

I would be lying to say that I’m really into politics but who can’t be afffected by Barack’s rise not only into politics but into pop culture.  What presidential candidate has to field screams from young fans shouting, “I love you Obama!”  In his smooth manner, he just comments, “I love you back!”.  What a don!  While Hillary waa waa whines about how she won the popular vote, I can’t help but to think about those Mac vs PC commercials.  Hillary, give it a dern rest!  The Republicans are going to jump all over this chaos and try to prove that the Democrats cannot get themselves aligned.

So who wins in the end?  The tortoise or the hare?

Hillary, don’t come at me with the “I’m doing this for my daughter…” bullshit because I’m all about feminism and celebrating women of power.  You are just being a sore loser!  What galaxy are you residing in?  I’ve just reached a point where I can’t bear to listen to her anymore.

I think my hubby was getting choked up at the notion that a black man would be running for president.  How could you not have a moment?  At the age of 46, Barack Obama is the FIRST African-American to get the democratic presidential nod.  He needs a green jacket like Tiger and they should sit down, sip martinis, and smoke cigars as they enjoy the ranks of the good ole boys club.  Yes, we can.  We shall overcome.  Barack.  King.  40 years apart.  If only…

Of course, as such a typical man needing to mask his emotions, my hubby resorted to humor…  I was cracking up as he was showing me how Obama should come on stage last night.  He thought he should come on like those basketball folks do weaving a ball in and out through their legs.  Then, I started singing…

We ain’t, go-in nowhere, we ain’t, goin nowhere
We can’t be stopped now, cause this Bad Boy for Life!

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWHCm6H9tfQ&hl=en]

LOL!!!  My creative juices are wanting me to make some kind of video, or at least pitch it to Saturday Night Live.  Must.  stay.  focused.

Anyhooz, Obama still managed to keep it real when he and wifey gave each other a pound as they came onstage.  (photo from LOLA New York).

So what’s up with Hillary and not stepping aside to allow Obama to have his moment last night? She won South Dakota, so fucking what?