NEW LOCATION

Hello readers,

Thank you so much for your continued patience. After a very long day yesterday, the entire contents of this blog has been imported to my new platform.

Check us out! 

november 22, 2014

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT

I am going to be moving my blog to a new platform. I am hoping that this will help me get more traffic and make the reading experience a little better for all of you. 

What that means, is that I am going to take some time off while I migrate my posts so far onto the new platform. Check back on December 1 and I'll update you all on the progress.

november 21, 2014

Today I received this in an email from my step mother.

After watching, I scrolled down to find an email within the same chain, from my sister. It read as such:

 This is really nice to see especially after an incident I witnessed yesterday that really broke my heart.  Its almost too perfect that this little boy's mom is the one who helped him write his rap because the mother son pair I saw yesterday was almost the exact opposite.  
     I was at the cutting counter yesterday at Joann's when a family walked by, a couple and their son.  They were buying some fabric and the little boy, probably two years old, said he wanted a tutu.  His mom said no and he repeated that he wanted a tutu, to which she replied "you can't have a tutu, boys don't wear tutus".  The little boy burst into tears and when his dad picked him up he said so broken hearted "I just want a tutu".  After that they walked off and I don't really know what else happened but the whole thing was very sad.  He was only two and they're already telling him what is and isn't OK for him to like as a boy and that was just very disappointing.
    I will say however, on a happier note, the family I was helping at the counter (a mother with her three children, two boys and a girl, and their grandmother) expressed their disappointment as well.  Specifically the Grandmother said, "that's so silly let the boy have a tutu for goodness sake.  He's only two its not gonna mess with his psyche, just let him be happy".  And I was really comforted by her candid response but also for the fact that she said it in front of her grandkids as well.  She then kissed her granddaughter on the nose and said playfully "I just want you to be happy". 
   It was two such opposite experiences one very sad and one restoring my hope a little.  Anyway I thought it was worth sharing especially in light of this adorable and fantastic video

And then there was a response from my dad:

Remember Kimo’s Maui rules:  “No rain,  no rainbows.”  If it wasn’t for that first, discouraging scene, you wouldn’t have been given the gift of the second, heartwarming one.  

I know that this kind of openness and love for each other and for other people. Many people don't have the experience that Alex did in this video and in the time leading up to his performance. But I want to take a moment to be thankful for people everywhere who allow both those they love, and total strangers, this sort of grace, respect, and love.

november 20, 2014

Tonight I had the opportunity to see Ta-Nehisi Coates speak at the University of Chicago Institute of Politics. For those of you who don't recognize his name, Ta-Nehisi wrote the article "The Case for Reparations" that ran in the June issue of The Atlantic this summer.

In the piece, which you absolutely must read if you haven't, he points out that when we think of reparations, people often dismiss it as something that was talked about ages ago, but is no longer relevant. He argues here that though slavery may have ended over a century ago, there has continued to be state-sanctioned and systemic means of keeping black people down have been far more recent (at least until the 1960's, if you're being unbelievably conservative) and that those actions and their consequences need to be honestly and meaningfully reckoned with.

His talk last night was deeply moving and enlightening and a wonderful addition to reading the piece. Here it is in its entirety, please find the time to watch (or just listen) to this.

Author's note: Ta-Nehisi mentions H.R. 40 during his talk, otherwise known as the Commission to Study Reparation Proposals for African American Act. Find a link to that legislation here and take the time to let your Representatives know that this is a question that we need to reckon with.

november 19, 2014

Two women that I have an immense amount of respect for, talking about being badass.

I am going to nerd out...a little bit...but MOCKINGJAY COMES OUT SO SOON.

that was embarrassing...

november 18, 2014

The New York Times ran a story on the 14th of this month about the man behind a pretty cool project in Chicago's South Side. Rami Nashishibi is the founder of the non-profit Inner-City Muslim Action Network or IMAN, which seeks to create interfaith dialogue as well as nurture spaces for support between different communities.

Read the full piece about one man doing great things in a place very near (literally) and dear to me here.

november 17, 2014

ASH IS COMING BACK

Evil Dead is a franchise that has a loyal cult following. It has been rebooted within the last five years, to phenomenal results. And for those of you who, like me, have been jonesing for more - your wish has been granted.

Starz has just revealed that next year, it will launch a miniseries format reboot of the series, that will pick up where Army of Darkness left off.

All I can say is,