[The following is a response to a comment I made on xoJane.com to a commenter who asked me to further explain my position on the post that asked xoJane readers what they thought about the ESPN headline that referenced the ethnic origin ofJeremy Lin. I wrote it here because as it turns out, I have a lot to say on the subject]. thanks for your comment marie. i’m not sure what you’re asking, or how to answer you exactly but i’ll take a stab. please bare with me, because there is SO much better and more articulate literature out there…. [ Read More ]

Previously I posted about the self-congratulatory beast known as “Celebrity Charity’ism.” I and others have come to the natural conclusion that more than dealing in self-less altruism, increasingly these so-called celebrities are engaging in acts of charity for the sole purpose of boosting their public image, and let’s face it, their already inflated egos. And yes, for each celebrity who is able to lead with her heart and not by the ego which is in/securely attached to her public self-worth, increasingly there are more who do it for audience recognition and because they’ve learned that it’s perceived as the right…. [ Read More ]

Tyler Perry’s films don’t bother me much. And I don’t take it personally when he brings to the big screen larger than life caricatures of what he [and others] perceive to be the ‘essence’ of black American folks and black American culture. I’m not bothered by the fact that what he may or may not do in terms of character development is “representative” or not, because I personally have never had a Madea in my home, nor have I ever come across a Madea in all the years that I’ve been on the planet. I don’t have physically larger than…. [ Read More ]

I’ve thought about posting this topic for some time now. Not because it is a pressing issue in my life, but because I’ve had my share of “run-ins” that have left me wondering how to deal, and subsequently, how to process my experiences. These incidences have either registered as a direct experience, or via a situation that I have experienced vicariously through someone else. I for one don’t go actively searching for ways in which cultural clashes have manifested themselves, nor do I spend my time trolling through other people’s race-grievances in the media. At the same time, I am…. [ Read More ]

[And If You Don’t Know What That Is, Recall the TV Show ER Back in the Day Where They Intubated Just About Every Person Who Entered The ER. It’s When A Breathing Tube is Inserted Into Your Mouth To Breathe For You. Not Pretty. But Literally Life-Saving]. This past Thursday after a full day at school, my husband and I [and our 2 ½ year old], drove our 5 ½ year old daughter to the emergency department of our local hospital for asthma treatment. She had not been feeling well all day at school, and had apparently taken ill shortly…. [ Read More ]

So if you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m the Passionate type. The passion part carries equal weight with my being Emotionally Sensitive and Terrifically Intense. Ya. A Barrel of Laughs is what they call me. But, come on now, I can be fun, too. [Never said I was “cool.”] And I know how to have a good time. But I’m not for everyone—who is? Guess what peeps, when you get older, you also get to a place where you’re OK with this. [Well, some of us anyway]. I also endeavour to live the old-school vibe of “live &…. [ Read More ]