Susan Taylor's Love

The weekend before last I was invited to attend a special book party celebrating the release of former Essence Editorial Director, Susan Taylor’s new book, All About Love.

I thought it was special because the party was held at Susan's home in Sag Harbor. All snazzied up in a beautiful boheme French Connection sundress, I was ready to go and luxuriate in that glow, that all encompassing warmth that Susan oozes even with just a glance, when 45-minutes before the event was to start the heavens opened up and Mother Nature just saturated the earth with her goodness. But me and my crew had been looking forward to this soiree all weekend so we just packed it in and yeah my toes were soaked, but it was all good. The party was still on and we were still going to show our support come rain or high water. The reading was moved indoors, which made for a cozy affair in the "play room" of a beautiful house that sits back in the nook of a beautiful block off of the beach. Her granddaughter excitedly let us and all latecomers in through the sliding doors. It was just that intimate, that chill.

My connection to Susan and to Essence goes way back. Outside of being a summer camp counselor and working after school in the NY Public Library, working at Essence was my first real job. I started as an intern supporting the Editor-- Stephanie Stokes Oliver. But then halfway through the school year Stephanie's assistant (and well known Poetry Editor), Angela Kinamore, had to take a few months off from work to take care of her daughter. Initially they were going to hire a temp to assist Stephanie, but then Stephanie said, "Why not just hire Nicole and put her on payroll? She knows the job." I'm sure there may have been some doubtful looks given from management, but in the end I got the job. Oh yeah I forgot to mention, I was only 17 years old and at the time the youngest member on staff. I was stoked! I went to class in the morning and was sitting pretty in my cubicle at 1500 Broadway by 1pm everyday. You couldn't tell me a damn thing. What I remember most from that experience is the support, trust and absolute belief in my abilities that I received everyday from Stephanie, Ionia, Elsie, Cheryl, Nicole and yeah, Susan too. I was mentored and learned proof correction marks in three days. Both Susan and Stephanie used purple pencils. They had their own style and were serious about the business. It was a beautiful experience that forever changed my plans to be a pediatrician and totally led to my career as a writer.

Seeing Susan that Sunday brought all of those memories back to my mind in a flood. She read from her book and it was like coming home or at the very least coming back to the middle. She lives and breathes every word of her "In The Spirit" columns. Still. Please buy the book cause like me you will adore and be humbled by the various interviews and stories about love, respect and commitment. My fave of course is her talk with Alice Coltrane.

Things to Do This Weekend

1.) Check out La Bruja as she rocks the mic at SummerStage's Definitely Poetry Jam on Saturday.

2.) Check Alice Russell do her wonderful, jazzy, funky thing at Hiro Ballroom (rare NYC performance) on Saturday night.

3.) Also on Saturday night go to El Museo del Barrio's film festival and catch Maldeamores a Puerto Rican film produced by one of my most fave actors-- Benicio del Toro.

4.) On Sunday download D-Nice's crazy-fresh start-of-summer music mix while doing that last bit of that spring-cleaning you've been putting off-- Saturday is the first day of summer you know!

Things To Do This Weekend

FRIDAY, 06.13 - MAVIS STAPLES & STEPHANIE MCKAY @Central Park SummerStage in Manhattan

FRIDAY, 06.13 - LES NUBIANS @House of Blues in Chicago

SATURDAY, 06.14 - KOOL HERC & LITTLE JACKIE @The Brooklyn Public Library in BK

SATURDAY, 06.14 - DIANE DACOSTA’S AMERICAN BEAUTY TOUR in Atlanta @Shrine of the Black Madonna

SUNDAY, 06.15 – GAME 5: BOSTON CELTICS & LA LAKERS @The Staples Center in Los Angeles (and on ABC nationwide) at 9PM

For more cool happenings in NYC this summer check Sharon Pendana's supa uber comprehensive listing of free events on her very cool blog.

And read here why sometimes it's hard for me to find things to do in Harlem.

Katy Perry

On Monday night I met up with new partner in crime, Jamiyla, at Steve Madden on the LES to check out this new artist that had music promotion bigwigs-- Giant Step-- going absolutely ga-ga. I had never heard of Katy Perry before I received my invitation. In all honesty the main reason I decided to go was for the Perrier Jouet and Stoli open bar. I know that says very lil about my curiosity for new music and volumes about my love for the bubbly, buy hey, music here lately just hasn't been blowing my skirt up.

As soon as I turned the corner onto Rivington I was surprised to see a small line forming outside. Were all of these very hip, very cool multi-culti folk here to see Katy or to get their drink on? If it was the former I wanted needed to be in the know.

By the time I slid inside, Jamiyla had made a new friend-- Tracey Moore (formerly of the Jazzyfatnastees and co-founder of Black Lily). While we sipped our mimosas, the three of us talked about the state of Black music and debated about how segregated New York City’s Black and White artistic communities had become. Initially I disagreed about this last issue, pointing to groups like Burnt Sugar and the Afro- Punk movement, but then I realized that if it wasn't for Giant Step I would have never heard of Katy Perry and come to find out she is pretty well known outside of the urban or Af-Am cipher (she's been featured in the NY Times, on TRL and on this summer's Warped Tour).

(Jamiyla & Tracey)

She has this song, "I Kissed A Girl," which is like chicken pox catchy and she totally reminds me of early Alanis Morissette except where Alanis' "Like A Pill" was situated on a bed of anger and angst, Katy settles on a more humorous cushion for her set. She also reminds me of Ashlee Simpson or Avril Lavigne before they became US mag fodder. I'm looking forward to checking out her record, One of The Boys, when it drops next week.

Afterwards I thought about some of the things Tracey had mentioned with regard to NYC's artists communities and how we tend to not socialize and collaborate across racial groupings. Maybe she is right. I think back to when I was a little girl and even though I may not have been chillin with white girls, that at least musically speaking, my homegirls and I would all listen to 92-WKTU and watch Video Music Box where they played Madonna, Blondie, Tony Basil and Belinda Carlisle as often as they did Vanity 6, Run DMC and the Mary Jane Girls and we loved them all and we're surely influenced stylistically by them too! We knew all the words to "Mickey" just as well as we knew Mtume's "Juicy Fruit." Of course this was before there was such a thing as urban radio-- clearly the beginning of our sonic xenophobia. Now I hardly ever listen to the radio and the only time I readily hear about white artists (in urban circles) is if they are "soul" singers ala Robin Thicke or Amy Winehouse.

Well thank you Giant Step for always keeping me in the know. Last year you got me so into Sara Bareilles and now you got me again with Katy!

Tanqueray Style Sessions

Last night Tanqueray got the green bottles out and did it big for their Tanqueray Style Sessions-- some crazy synergistic, cross-marketing mash-up of booze, music, fashion and art all taking place under one roof in the name of brand development. The roof in question was that of The Metropolitan Pavilion in Chelsea, NYC. When I arrived it was a mob scene outside and immediately I was ready to head home, but comrade Larry Ossei let me slide to the front of the VIP line and I was able to ease in rather quickly. I honestly forgot how frickin loony people get when the call of "Open Bar" is made. Tanqueray, not even really a hot brand in terms of what’s poppin, had folks standing at least 50 deep in three different lines waiting to get their gin and tonic on or some other concoction. The whole experience reminded me of back in the day how folks in my hood would line up for our free cheese and butter. I saw author Trey Ellis who said to me in astonishment these lines are ridiculous. "Yeah, but how ridiculous does that make me for actually waiting on the line," I responded. After being on line for 15 minutes I started wondering if I had lush life issues, but then just contended that these types of industry affairs—fraudulent attempts at being supa cutting-edge necessitated a drink. Keeping it real, the music and art takes a back seat to cocktail sipping. There was a fashion show featuring a few lines including Marc Ecko and throughout the space were cute lil "branded" lounge areas created by Crate & Barrel and live art displays by graffiti artist STASH. It was a 3-ring circus with the main attraction being the concession stands.

There were however two thrilling moments. The first happened 30-minutes before the fashion show started when a vent fell from the ceiling, hitting a woman. She was knocked down to the floor but looked like she would be okay after medical attention. Clearly she's got a good case for a lawsuit. How's that for brand development Tanqueray?

The second thrilling moment was a "surprise performance" by Ryan Leslie. I had heard so much about him-- heard his jawn "Diamond Girl," but never saw him live. He danced, twirled and generally sang his behind off. It took him a minute to gain the attention (and respect) of the crowd, but by the third song he had won over the audience with his charm and enthusiasm and folks had gathered around the stage to show dude in the shiny jacket some love. His band was tight. I just wish he would lay off of the Usher routine and give us more edge-- more James Brown if you will.

I saw Sylvia Rhone standing next to DJ’s Steve Aoki & Mos cheering her artist on and looking fierce as ever. Damon Dash, who I interviewed a couple of years ago was there with his son chatting with Angela Yee from Sirius, and speaking of Diamond Girl, I met Jenn Tsang who creates fresh gold rings and other bombastic bling rocking the flyest denim jumpsuit. Also in the house Charles of Hustlemode with Mary Phanmaha from Rocawear and Slim Pickens.

I had an aight time. Will I check for Ryan's record? Yep. Will I start ordering Tanqueray when I go out? Nope. Will I make sure not to stand under any open vents? You damn skippy I will!

Sixth Ave Street Fair & Uptown Designers Market

Weekends just seem to zip by, but then what else is new. Time flies warp speeds when you are having fun or, at the very least, when you're trying to chill. So it was for me this weekend. On Saturday I ran some errands and (literally) stumbled across the massive 6th Avenue street festival. And ooh wheee, I can’t tell you how much I love street fairs. The intoxicating smell of Italian sausages, peppers and onions on the grill and just popped hot kettle corn. It’s funny because I find in my travels there are two types of people. You got your amusement park aficionados and your street fair fanatics. The former loves the rides, the thrill of the rollercoasters and the exhilarating drenchings of water rides. I, on the other hand, fall into the latter category. I love walking from vendor to vendor looking for some unique rare find. Unfortunately the fairs in NYC have become more of the same mass produced trinket hodgepodgery-- sheet sets, wool sweaters, I love NY t-shirts, and hoop earrings galore. But the one thing that sucks me in every time is the fair's food fare. I'ma sucka for the chicken kebobs, funnel cake and kettle corn. And so I spent a good chunk of my Saturday afternoon munching my yum-yum off walking around midtown.

On Sunday the ominous clouds kept me at bay and so I stayed close to home, which worked out cause once the sun came out around 6pm I went to the Uptown Emerging Designers Market and caught the last bit of what was clearly a very hot affair. Unlike my 6th Ave experience the previous day, the vendors at this market, which was located in Harlem at the Hip Hop Culture Center (who knew?), featured vendors hawking all kinds of unique and stylish goods-- many handmade. I loved the wit of homey selling the Puerto Rican for a Weekend tees to celebrate NYC's annual Puerto Rican Day Parade-- a day where not only Jessica Alba is Latino but dang near all of Gotham.


My absolute fave though were the sisters behind Cut It Out apparel-- a line of tees that have all these cool, positive messages for women and girls like "Destroy Stereotypes" and "Dope Enough To Make You Holla & Scream" from Latifah and Monie Love's Ladies First. CIO co-founders Noricia Anderson and Tirinda McNeil (in photo: 2nd from right & right) believe "that women should assert their inner strengths and explore their individuality." About the Harlem Market, Tirinda says "there's more love here and the people get us immediately.” Well I sure did. I bought two tees and am waiting for them to do a white and gold version of their iconic tee-- the one that features the ladies bathroom symbol emblazoned boldly in front. theHotness no doubt!

I had a great time talking to the artists and vendors who all seemed to genuinely enjoy one another and the idea of growing their business in Harlem. The Market co-founder Michelle Gittens, who has Heidi Klum's charisma and Michael Kors' no nonsense all-American business sense and more designers under her uptown roof than any one season of Project Runway is excited about the future of the market. Here she is talking about the Market and what’s next:

Good Time, Good Wine-- Kedar Massenburg & Mondovino

I love wine. And thanks to an ex, now I've become a bit of a connoisseur. For many, many years I was a devout red wine sipper. It didn't matter if I was having salmon, fried chicken or beef Teriyaki I was drinking red. Merlots mainly. And then that wonderfully rude, but oh so smart comedy, Sideways, came out and made us Merlot drinkers look like the Budweiser badunka-dunks of wine and I just couldn't have that so I began experimenting with some Cabs, Pinot Noirs and what quickly became a fave, Aussie Shirazes. Trying to be cool and non-confrontational one past date night I decided to go with the flow and have a glass of Chardonnay. He said that Russian Rivers were the ish-- rich and buttery. And I must say that is one of the few times I've gone white and it felt just right! Now I'm even into some of the more citrusy varieties of Chardonnay and this past summer, I was surprised by how satisfying Domaine Ott (THE summer wine!) and other brands of Rośe were to me-- the former 'Red' head!

So of course I was delighted to attend a mixer this past Monday night hosted by NV Magazine that was being sponsored by K'orus-- the brand of wine developed by former Motown head honcho, Kedar Massenburg. Needless to say I was skeptical when I first heard the news. I mean who goes from being a record maker (and breaker) to a (good) winemaker. As soon as I spotted Kedar I walked up to him and asked him if his name was just tied-in for brand recognition or was he really about the grapes. Stunned he was like "No, this is not a Ciroc kind of affair. I picked the grapes. I'm for real." So I tried the Chardonnay and I have to admit, it is good. It's gotta nice crisp citrus bite.

I told him about my love for wine and about this documentary that I saw one night on pay-per-view that opened me up to the madness, money, discrimination and power that defines the business of wine production in France, Argentina, Italy and of course the US. Mondovino is about the commodification of wine and how, like the commodification of hiphip, wine making has lost much of its authenticity over the years. Watching this film I was captivated by the artistry, if you will, that goes into making a good bottle of vino and how like everything else nowadays it's more about the loot and getting a high rating than about family honor and most importantly "terroir". It's an absolutely fascinating film that I would recommend to anyone who has ever uncorked a bottle (or I guess it's now unscrew).

I'm always interested in trying new wines so please list your favorites below. Right now I'm digging Meerlust (South African/ Merlot), Cutrer (Russian River,CA/ Chardonnay), Pomelo (Lake County, CA/ Sauvignon Blanc), and Isole e Olena (Italy/Chianti).

Mid-week Musings: Biggie, Project Runway, & Mediabistro

So it seems like the screenplay written by Cheo Hodari Coker for the much hyped Notorious BIG movie is a BIG bore (NY Mag's Vulture).


Mediabistro, a site that I check damn near everyday for freelance gigs and cool media news is a having their first media conference (Mediabistro Circus) to discuss and mull over the latest interactive strategies and tech platforms. Too bad in 2008 we are voting for what could be the first Black prez of the US but for their first conference MB can't find any Black bloggers or tech heads to discuss online media. What the hell?

Next week Project Runway may actually have a real contest between the three final designers. Christian, who I initially thought was going to just kill it at the end, was very disappointing last night. His looks definitely need to be edited as Tim so politely declared, when we all know he wanted to say Christian get a grip on reality and make something that a buyer Michael Kors can realistically consider assimilating. You are not in England anymore! Rami and especially Jillian's clothing looked great!

RingShout Launch Party

"Rain be damned, I'm getting my swerve on," had to be the preeminent thought of at least 125 folks that attended the inaugural event of ringShout on Friday night at Random House. Even though it was a monsoon outside and I was tired, I was even more curious about this ringShout event. ringShout, a consortium of Black writers, editors, and publishing heads was established in response to the lack of exposure, shelf space and buzz for African-American writers. The organization's founders—authors Martha Southgate (who got the proverbial Movement started with her piece in the NY Times magazine), Eisa Nefertari Ulen, Bridgett Davis, Cave Canems Alison Myers and Random House editor Chris Jackson say that ringShout is dedicated to "recognizing, reclaiming and celebrating literary fiction and non fiction by black writers." Personally I think this group was/is sorely needed whether Street Lit was trouncing literary types or not. Im not mad at Zane, or for that matter, feel that she is nabbing would be readers of Edwidge Danticat or Shay Youngblood. Two different audiences altogether, but there definitely is a need for Black writers and publishers to build coalitions by and for authors and aspiring writers. Needless to say I guess I wasn't alone in this presumption as there was a buzz in the room and it wasn’t from sipping all that wine! This was hands-down the best networking event Ive attended in years! Folks were anxious to give out their business cards, offer editorial advice, give insider info on new projects and freelance opportunities. It was a homecoming long overdue. I can't wait for the next gathering.

ringShout Co-founders Bridgett, Eisa, & Martha

Writer/Author Michael Gonzales, Vibe Editor-in-Chief Danyel Smith, & Sandra Jamison








Uptown Magazine Online Editor Sekou Writes, CosmoGirl Senior Editor Tara Roberts, Martha, and Blogger/Publicist Rob Fields

Shop N' Mingle & Najwa Moses Rock Harlem

Yesterday I attended Shop N' Mingle, an event produced by BK hotspot Harriet's Alter Ego. Usually held at Turning Heads Salon, this year Ngozi and crew moved their shopping bazaar to The National Black Theater and that made a hell of a difference (forget shop til you drop, last year was sweat til you're sopping wet). The new space was cool and gave vendors a real space in which to hawk their wares and for DJ Lynee Denise to spin. Folks were even able to get their 2-step, drop and bounce on when she played the JB's Girl I'll House You.

Unfortunately the snow definitely did a number on the numbers cause it wasn't packed like usual and I think this year they were expecting something like 600 people. And with all that they were offering-- an open bar, makeovers, complimentary desserts and a free gift bag with purchase I know they would have surely pulled at least that many folk, if not more. And talking about gift bags, I really feel like by now I'm an expert as I've scooped more than 200 or so bags in my ever enriched event hopping career and I must say the one distributes at this event is consistently in my Top 10 of best gift bags ever, up there with my Time Out and MTVN gift bags. There had to be at least $75 worth of goodies in the bag-- everything from Vitamin Water to Miss Jessie's Rapid Recovery Treatment.

In line with stepping up their vending game, SNM was hosted by Najwa Moses, founder of the bold and eclectic Styleaholics. Miss Najwa was ready-set-go even at 5pm when I arrived, still looking fresh to def and totally excited about her new line of handmade leather earrings. I scooped up a beautiful pair with gold links and ice blue leather. She even has a fabulous style that she's named The Blogger, which come in either bronze, blue or black leather and feature tiny diamond and circular shaped cut-outs.

** As a way of showing her love for theHotness, Najwa is giving away a pair of the Blogger style earrings to the first person who posts below (in the comments section) the name of the major shopping event she launched in 2001 and in 2005 attracted over 1000 attendees (check her website for answer). **

Along with the earrings, I also nabbed a fresh Tuff Like Iron T-shirt that features a turquoise silhouetted image of a Rwandan woman and the flyest belt bag designed by Harriet's. And to think a year ago I was sweating that Gucci version which has been so bootlegged that now I see 9-year old girls rocking them with their Dora jeans and grandmama's using them to carry their laundry money and Bingo chips. Even though I still got a thang for Gucci, more often than not, I find that the most stylish ish is being produced by independent designers around the way.

And this leaves me with my only gripe, which is why SNM is billed as "Uptown's Premier Shopping Event," when in fact most of the designers and vendors are from Brooklyn? It just makes me curious as to why they don’t attract more vendors from Harlem. I know someone reading this has to have the answers so please post them below and let me know what's up. And don't think that I'm hatin on Brooklyn cause y'all know from posts like these that I have mad love and would really just hate to have to start trekking over the bridge to experience this event. I'm just trying to wrangle up that Uptown flava whenever and wherever I can before it's all gone.

bell hooks & Sonia Sanchez @Hue-Man TONIGHT!

Sonia Sanchez and bell hooks come to Harlem: (from website)

bell hooks and Sonia Sanchez have continued to provide the public with exquisite works such as When Angels Speak Of Love, Like Singing Coming Off A Drum, and Shake Loose My Skin. Share this “celebration of love” with Hue-Man and receive first-hand advice from these pioneers of prose.

Hue-Man Bookstore & Cafe
2319 Frederick Douglass Blvd
Between 124th and 125th Streets
@6:30-8:30PM

She Shootin' Photography Opening

The She Shootin' Photography Collective presents:
A Drum Beats in Brooklyn:
A Photography Exhibition Celebrating the Drum-Based and African Influenced Traditions of Brooklyn

On View: February 14 through May 13, 2007
OPENING RECEPTION: Thursday, February 15, 5:30 - 7:30pm

A Drum Beats in Brooklyn offers a panoramic view of traditions such as J'ouvert, Drummers Grove, Tribute to the Ancestors of the Middle Passage among others and show how they are uniquely Brooklyn. From the intimate gesture to the grand declaration, the She Shootin' Photography Collective document these celebrations that bring spectator and performer together and highlight the timeless magic of the drum.

Location:
Brooklyn Historical Society
128 Pierrepont Street - Brooklyn, NY 11201
(718) 222-4111
Hours: Wednesday - Sunday, 12 - 5 p.m.
M, R to Court Street; 2, 3, 4, 5 to Borough Hall

Curated by the She Shootin' Photography Collective-- Laylah Amatullah Barrayn, Delphine Fawundu-Buford, Ava Griffiths, Kerika Fields and Nsenga Knight. Five of Brooklyn's emerging women photographers invite us into their worlds through glimpses into their growing bodies of work. From candid portraiture to street photography, the images included in A Drum Beats in Brooklyn marks personal stations of these women's photographic journeys.

NETworking

The night before last I decided to take a break from my usual routine and instead of heading to the BX I headed downtown to get my geek on at two writer-centric events. The first event was put on by The New York Times and was held at their headquarters on 43rd street. The invitation read:

This panel discussion with three Times journalists (Sewell Chan, Andrea Elliott and David Gonzalez, each featured in The Times's new brand advertising campaign) discussing their beats and how racial and ethnic trends impact the stories they cover.

My Beat: The Impact of Diversity on a Story was the really hip name they christened this panel that featured some really not so hip writers (excluding David Gonzalez who was charismatic, really open and had more personality in his big toe than the other two writers combined). Now don’t get me wrong it wasn’t a big yawn, but when one hears the word "beat" ya can’t help but think music, culture or enlivened, witty and impassioned discussions and this it, well, wasn't. I knew going into this it was going to be a night filled with irony and weird, errr… staged juxtapositioning if that makes any sense just because the event was sponsored by their Human Resources Dept. (ie. The NY Times is looking for writers of color or at least they want us to believe that they are at least committed to da rainbow coalition!)

As I got off the elevator and walked down this long winding hallway I had to laugh. This hall featured about 50 framed photographs of, I believe, writers who have worked at The Times and as I walked to this diversity event I realized this long a$s hall had only two photos of Black women. I recognized Isabel Wilkerson in one shot but didn’t know who the other woman was. It’s so remarkable to me that every time I walk the hallowed halls of so many (old) institutions (like my college’s alumni club for example), I have to deal with seeing old white men or as MeShell NdegeOcello once told me “we are confronted with the ancestral history of The Man every day damn near every minute here in America.”

Anyway I digress. The panel was pretty interesting because the work of the writers featured especially David and Andrea was really insightful and unique. Hearing how they get people to open up about their very personal lives and how authenticity played apart in their goals as journalist was very inspiring for me. The other thing that I found totally inspiring was their dope spread—open bar, shrimp, sushi, Kobe beef satay, curry chicken tartes. Never mind that my questions about gender and about passion & objectivity were also a bit hit, so much so that I was asked by two Times execs to send them my resume and writing samples.

My next stop: Rockefeller Plaza to NBC Studios for their first ever NYC Blogger Summit. I got there a lil late and missed the reception, but heads were still complaining about there not being any liquor, especially beer. This issue was actually brought up at least three or four times throughout the night. I’m gathering I’m not the only blogger who likes to get her drink on. I think the final count for attendees was 129 and I was probably1 of only 3 Black folks there. But on the upside the Conan O’Brien studio where the Summit was held had a good look on blog-grrrls in the mix. The ladies were definitely in the house repping a number of sites ranging from big dot coms like Mediabistro and Gothamist to All Cupcakes and of course theHotness Grrrl.

This Summit was groundbreaking in that a mainstream (not to mention VERY major) news source was basically fessing up that they need us. WNBC, at least, wants to partner with us on delivering news. Initially most bloggers were doubtful of this “partnership” and really had to think about the value of what we would get in return—basically credit, hyperlinks and TV exposure. No loot. I think most folks were like me and more interested in hearing the stories of various bloggers and how they developed their audience and their particular blogging styles. The folks at NBC didn’t really have a lot to say. The highlight for me was meeting Anil Dash the cat that created TypePad, Movable Type and other blogging software and services. We spoke for a good minute about hiphop and the Web, successful (i.e. revenue generating) blogs & sites related to urban culture, Questlove’s blog and OkayPlayer. We had a great convo and are supposed to hangout real soon. A good night overall that ended with me on the 11pm news coverage of the Blogger Summit. Thanks Lynne for noticing my two seconds of fame. Real recognizing real!

BK Grrrls - Wangechi, Mickalene, Aissata & co.

If I were to believe Biggie or even the now defunct NRG Magazine, Brooklyn girls supposedly got it going on. And if last night's sojourn from the Heights to Bed Stuy proved anything it was just that—that like the sprawling terrain itself, the grrrls too are mad deep. First stop was this Stoop Series co-presented by BRIC's Rotunda Gallery, which I had never heard of and NY Magazine. I've been on NY Mag's guest list for events for almost two years now and I don't remember them ever doing anything in Brooklyn and surely nothing that centered around the work of not one, but two Black women. So needless to say I was looking forward to this event that featured a conversation with artists Wangechi Mutu and Mickalene Thomas. I met Wangechi a year ago at a birthday party and ever since I've been hearing things (mostly good) about her seemingly everywhere so I was especially amped to see if she lived up to the hype. I has seen her work up close at this reception given for the President of Liberia at the Nubian Heritage and though it was aight. Honestly I wasn't really moved by her work until last night when this Kenyan homegrrrl started breaking down the symbolism and metaphors that define her collage. I was totally in awe as she talked about her creative process and how that is fueled by African history, sexism and sexuality, race and politics. She was saying things like:

When I am in my studio there is no white or black—(there's) no race. Nothing can stop me from what (I) have to do.

and...

I started to think what does it mean to change these images of Black women? And how do we define beauty. In a way I guess I violate these images. It's a critique though-- the hacking and the cutting and that happens within beauty. I don't believe in purity. My cutting, and hacking is actually who we are.

True dat!

Mickalene who was inspired by photographer Adrian Piper was less garrulous, but made interesting points nonetheless:

People usually associate eroticism with pornography and for me those are two different things. For me eroticism is a creative energy of empowerment—our history, our language, where we are from.

This was a very cool event with free Brooklyn lagers to boot-- definitely worth the trek over the bridge! While there I caught up with Knox Robinson formerly of this mag. He was telling me about this group, Hypnotic, he was co-managing who I had just seen perform at the Union Square subway station. These cats, who are all blood brothers, are The Truth yo! They are a hiphop brass ensemble that just kills! Look out for them as they are on the come-up for shizzy.

I finally met Laylah Barrayn for the first time face-to-face after emailing each other for about 2 years. She's another BK girl doing wonderful work in photography. And talking about a sister doing big thangs... right before leaving I met Isolde Brielmaier who is the Director and Chief Curator at the Rotunda. This grrrl has lectured on international art damn near everywhere from Harlem to Australia and doesn't look like she's even blown out 35 b-day candles yet!

Next stop was Bed Stuy for a Scorpio birthday party for my comrade, artist Aissata Pinto da Costa and her friend Cindy Blackman who is a great musician in her own right, but is popularly known for drumming with Lenny Kravitz's band. Folks were mainly chillin talking about music, movies and politics. The fish was great and I think it came from this Bed Stuy joint called Dakar. Got a chance to see Koki again and she tells me that she is designing and styling for Prince’s new muse, Tamar, and a bunch of other artists who will be performing at his new Vegas spot. She's going out there next week and so hope fully I will get the scoop from her soon. Took a cab back home and it really seemed like uptown was another galaxy away.

Maybe The Greatest Show On Earth

So Ringlin thinks he's got the greatest show on earth? Well after last night's spectacular offering by Imani Uzuri at Joe's Pub to celebrate the release of her long-awaited debut record, Her Holy Water: A Black Girl's Rock Opera, I'm not sure if the clowns still have it. This was the best show I've seen by far this year! EVERYBODY in that muhfuh was in total agreement with me. Just ask Todd Wilson, Greg Tate, Freedome Bradley, Kim Knox, DJ Rehka, Melissa Thornton or the 70 or so other heads there.

Imani started singing the title song "Her Holy Water" from behind the curtain and hit the stage singing like her very life depended on each melody. She didn't waste time riffing and wailing and giving over-the-top American Idol styled endings, instead she told you stories about her grandma in North Carolina where it was about church, family and making the best outta the lil bit you had; and also how she thought she was so ugly after cutting her hair into a short natural fro until these sisters exclaimed how she was giving them Grace Jones and how that was the day she knew she was a diva. Her sense of humor was dead-on. The band's timing was ill, sick, infirmed, whatever the heck you wanna call it, they killed!

I know I've said it before, but Imani has a beautiful, throaty deep alto that rises into this incandescent soprano shrill and make no mistake she knows how to use every bit of her God-given talent . At one point last night, Imani, dressed in hot pink, was on her knees singing Ishi (pron. E-She)-- a song about a Native American who died and whose bones were assumed by a US museum and how his people, his tribe had to fight for his bones. She chanted Ishii over and over again-- Iiii-shiiii, Iiiiiii-shi-- going from a mournful lament to a high pitched battle cry. It was goose-bump riveting. My comrade Todd looked over at me and said "whoa, she's taken it to different level tonight." And indeed she did. And just when you thought it was all about revolution, politics and God, homegrrrl starts bluesily singing "wet cootchie" and goes into a raunchy, crazy humorous riff about the power of the punany. Well I guess now that I think about it, I've never heard anyone at Joe's Pub or any NYC venue sing so reverently about wet cootchie. Although we wouldn't mind, Maxwell never treads that deeply or explicitly and since we are talking reverently R. Kelly and all of hiphop is eliminated. So I guess that is pretty revolutionary and yeah God was all up in there in that joint. From beginning to end, the show last night was 70 minutes of unadulterated Black grrrl fire-water. It burned, but it healed and we loved every minute of it. Like Greg Tate says in the liner notes of her CD (which we all got copies of): "Dig: the only way you're ever going to figure out Imani Uzuri's music is if you surrender to her beckon and call, her weep and wail, her songs and screams, her tears and dreams, her melodies and metamorphosis. You'll likely turn into some hella-fierce and lovely kind of Other thang yourself."

Black Media Stereotypes

Last Saturday in between the rain and the sun, The Harlem Book Fair was in effect. For the first time I was out there as a vendor selling my Hotness T-shirts and so I didn't get a chance to check out the panels. I'ma blog more on the Book fair itself in a day or so, but first I must post about one of the panels that I caught on C-Span on Sunday.

The panel Black Media and Black Stereotypes was moderated by Cathy Hughes (Radio One) and featured Roland Martin, Dick Gregory, William Rhoden and Juan Williams. I think Al Sharpton joined later but by then I was probably engrossed in something way more interesting like cutting my cuticles or cleaning my microwave. This panel was not only a snoozer but it was so rudimentary that it was offensive.

When asked what is Black media, Roland answered with the following observation: "I believe there are three types—Black Owned, Black Controlled and Black Targeted." Black Owned would be WLIB, Black Controlled would be Essence and Black Targeted would be The Source (when headed by Dave Mays & Benzino). He then went into this exegesis of sorts about The Washington Post and how he never wanted to work for them and Milton Coleman. Then seemingly out of nowhere both he and Cathy launched into this tirade about Janet Cooke who won a Pulitzer for a fabricated story she wrote for TWP and how "mainstream media types encourage this type of behavior." Oh, did I mention this Janet Cooke fiasco happened in 1981 and that coincidentally after everyone discovered what a big liar she was (allegedly she said she graduated from Vassar too), Janet claimed that the high-pressure environment of the Washington Post had corrupted her judgment?!? Okay, so many things can be said about this entire exchange. Like why are your references as to how yucky white media can be like 25 years old (dang isn’t that when MTV debuted?), or why is that when Black folks eff up at "mainstream" companies, it's the fault of the company and not the individual, or better yet how is it that in 2006 you still believe that mainstream outlets like the Post somehow compromise and tarnish the talents of Black journalists without even acknowledging the value and depth folks like Lola (NY Times), Greg (Village Voice) and Cheo (LA Times) have added to these outlets? Well my friends it only gets better.

Next up was William who couldn't stop waxing nostalgically about how great it was to play football at Morgan State and get a job at Ebony. It seemed that for him this was the epitome of Black Male success and at that time it probably was (oh yeah, I forgot to mention that no one on the panel was under 45 or female [Cathy moderated]). Again it's 2006 and you are talking about Ebony magazine as a model for what? You know I'm not going to say anything more about that moment. Especially since I had walked by the QBR booth right outside the Schomburg that very day and heard this sister ask who reads Ebony because her book was featured in this month's issue. I lie to you not, no one said a word. I heard crickets on 135th Street, yo! Startled, homegirl said something like well make sure you go to your doctor's office and check it out.

So back to the panel. After about 30 minutes of yapping, I was shocked that in their talk about Black Media no one mentioned, never mind discussed, online media and how digital platforms like Blogger, or this and Black sites like EUR and this one are impacting community, media and politics. Nope not a word. Then again there were no youngin's on the panel cause we all know X-ers like me only get asked to participate on hip-hop panels.

Juan Williams brought up a good point about the history of Black journalists being advocates and using the press to promote a specific point of view like DuBois did with his Crisis. He wondered where was the advocacy in Black media and how do Black journalists fit into niche media. This bright point never got a fair shake as Dick Gregory and Cathy Hughes somehow started talking about Marion Barry.

In what had to be the panel's finest moment, both Dick and Cathy ranted about how the gov't set up Barry and how the media twisted the story making a mountain out of a tiny snow hill. "Is he the only man in America that sniffs coke," one of them whined. Errr um, he was the dang mayor of DC and it was crack. And please break it down to me how the Post manipulated him to do a Pookie and light those rocks and get high? I'm starting to wonder if Dick is sniffing his leftover Bahamian Diet Mix powder. Jeesh! At this point I changed the channel and made myself a drink.

I turned back 30 mins later hoping that these cats were trying to redeem themselves. Unfortunately Dick was talking about how all of his children had attended Black colleges except for one and that "she's the craziest child in his family." Then of course Rhoden chimed in about how great his experience was at Morgan.

When so many Black and Latino children drop out of high school and decide not to go to college, what the hell is so fracking constructive about dissing Black kids like me who decide to go to a predominantly white college. This has got to be the funkiest crap I've heard in a longtime. I was pissed. Still am. And because I've already written a novel here, I won't go into detail about how much more advanced-- academically and socially I was than the chick I shadowed at Howard in '89. I had read the books they were reading as sophomores in my junior year at Hunter H.S. Now I'm not dissing Howard or Spelman or any of the other historically Black colleges, but I'm saying they were not for me and that was my choice. I don’t think I need to be dissed or feel ashamed for making that choice and if this is what Dick and the other cats on the panel think is the major problem facing Black journalists then I guess Darfur, AIDS and poverty aren’t the biggest issues for Black communities. It's old school ignorance.

It's On & Poppin'

Well it's literally been a month of Sundays since I last posted and I miss y'all so much. What's up Cocoa Girl, Latasha, Supa Sista, Felicia, Aplomb & of course, The Very Reverend Ace Clemmons? It's been so crazy that I haven't even had the time to check you out. For real y'all I’m totally outta the blog-loop and need some updates, so give me a shout!

And even though I'm still mad busy trying to complete a few projects-- like my book proposals, theHotness media kit, going through and disposing of at least 50 mags, getting rid of at least 80 cd's by importing them into iTunes and working on two magazine features, I can't help myself I just gotta blog! And thanks in part to some really inspiring and motivational words from Greg T., Joicelyn D., Michael Gonzales, Bill Brown, LaChena and Karen Good, I really feel like we've got sumthin special going on here! This blogging ish is in my blood now and I have so much to share so I'ma catch you up with all that’s been poppin, errr more like slowly simmering, for the past two months in my life. To save a lil’ time, I'll give you my recap in bullet form. Guns drawn? Let's go:

1. St. Martin – I went with comrade and fellow Bronx grrrl, Diane DaCosta to St. Martin to assist her as she launched her Tai Texture beauty line and hawked copies of her book. It was my first opportunity to explore a French isle and I was amped. With my new kelly green Calvin Klein bikini packed and a suitcase full of media kits I was off. The island itself is gorgeous! The Dutch side is more developed than the French side of the island and had a nice rootsy, grassroots vibe, whereas the French side was less developed but way more cosmopolitan. I felt like I was in St. Tropez or southern France (like I’ve vacationed there before!). The food was great especially at Tropicana on the French side in Marigot and the grilled lobster at this tiny shack off the road on the Dutch side. Boo Boo Jams on Friday and Sunday nights is the definitive reggae, calypso, dancehall, soca and yes, hiphop jumpoff! My jam was and still is Roll It by Alison Hinds. It is such a tight, sultry dancehall whind and grind joint that it really irks me that no one is hyping it up back here Stateside (save the Yardies). The book festival was pretty dope too and definitely reflected the energy, vibrancy and consciousness of the people of St. Martin (I'ma post more on the St.Martin Book Fair so check back).

2. Lisa Raye's Party – Thanks to Raychelle at SheNotes I was invited to Lisa Raye's party to celebrate the upcoming Turks & Caicos Film Festival. I had such a great time. First off it was at this very cool restaurant-- Sapa, which was so beautiful and the food was absolutely delicious. I saw Pat White of Aubette fame who is part of a team opening a spot uptown on 129th called Pascal. Can't wait for that! Lisa looked good, not glamorous like Jada or Halle, but reaaal good. Spoke to her for a sec and she seemed delighted to be having such a great party, to be married (she was never more than 3 feet away from her hubby) and for life in general, which is great for Mrs. Missick. To think she carved her celebrity (and now wealth) outta 104 minutes of brawling, crying and stripping as a down and out homegirl-mama named Diamond. Wow! I know I would be delighted too. And the festival sounds like it has the potential to be hot. They’ve got the location and the fact they are aiming to highlight the connection between music and film sounds extremely interesting. Spike Lee should give the keynote and win an award-- for School Daze, for using Stevie exclusively in Jungle Fever and for Malcolm X (remember how you felt when you heard Sam Cooke’s A Change is Gonna Come as Denzel drove to the Audubon)-- and there should be an A&R clinic on how and why Love Jones worked so well and remains the classic urban soundtrack to this day.

3. India.Arie - I love India's song "I Am Not My Hair" so it was a no-brainer when Thembisa asked if I wanted to go to her listening party at Branch. I was really interested in hearing what the rest of her album sounded like and for the most part I wasn't disappointed. Hair is a real favorite for me for a number of reasons-- the melody and hook is contagious, the message, and can I say it again-- the empowering lyrics! She looked gorgeous and knew it and actually at one point asked us to applaud her on how good she looks (a low point). She was at her best when she stopped all of the well-intended, but boring bohemian spiritual banter and just sang and strummed that guitar singing her oldies like Ready For Love and Video alongside her new cuts. I like India alot and really hope she does well with this album because I'm still mad at how her first project was handled particularly with that Grammy fiasco. I've got my fingers crossed and running through my locks-- hopeful and inspired.

4. V-Day – Okay I didn’t go to any events this past week that Ms. Ensler scheduled during her Until the Violence Stops: NYC Campaign, but I just wanted to give her mad props for extending her empowering Vagina Monologues into 2-weeks of exciting lectures, protests and spoken word jams. I was told her Words from Prison-- a series of new monologues performed at Lincoln Center, which consisted of stories written by famous femmes like Alice Walker and the not so famous (Kemba Smith- a formerly incarcerated woman) was mind-blowing. If I was feeling more Angela Davis, I would have indulged in her V celebration but I was feeling more like Sammy Davis so I chose to indulge in another "V" that night-- vodka-- at the Hotel Gansevoort.

5. 16 Pounds – That's how much weight I've lost since January. Yipee!!! I can finally wear those cute white shorts that I got in April of '05 but still have the tags on b/c my booty was way too big too rock anyone’s shorts last summer. And those Helmut Lang jeans that I got for a song may be a little snug but I will be wearing those next month after I tone up. Thank god for my love of sushi, grilled fish, red hot blue corn chips, wild mushroom and garlic couscous and broccoli. I can't get enough of it and so I don't even feel like I'm on some weight loss mission. I’m just satisfying my cravings.

6. Marcella's Beads – Again because of my new slimmed down tummy I can rock my waist beads again. I cannot tell you how much I'm digging this line of beaded bling. The necklaces which I wear layered are always catching someone’s eyes especially since Marcella is now using beads in great summery colors like lemon yellow and moss green. (If you are interested in purchasing, email her at marcybelle@earthlink.net and mention theHotness Grrrl sent you.)

7. LOOP – The bag I'm rocking this summer (and this past spring) has to got be the dopest item I ever bought in my life. It's a hobo bag by Loop and I got it here after seeing someone else rock it on the upper eastside. There is not a day that goes by that someone does not stop me on the street to compliment me and find out where I got it. Even this old man who was digging in the trash for bottles was like "that's a great bag!" Now that's a purse! (Note: I can't find one single pic of it online and until I take a pic of my own bag and upload it for y'all, this will have to do. My bag, although it is made with the same fabric and similar electric blue snakeskin, is 3 times larger and 300 times flyer).

8. Emperor's Roe – This is where I had my birthday get together. It's uptown close to the crib and they serve the best crabcakes. Like Baltimore good and I don’t mean touristy Philips either. I'm talking Mo's good! Seriously, even though this place is named for its longstanding rep for having the best caviar, I go there for everything but! The sushi is tasty and the champagne is dry and crisp and the owner, David always gives me a nice pour (wink, wink).

9. Mixed- the latest book from Angela Nissel is what I'm reading this summer along with this. The book, Nissel's second, is pretty damn good and has supposedly gotten picked up by Halle Berry who is producing it as a weekly series for HBO. And I'm so glad Nissel is writing the screenplay because even though I wasn’t really into Scrubs (the television show she currently writes for), there are some parts in the book that just have me laughing out loud which is cool to do on the beach or in my living room, but I must admit on the train I get the Crazy Grrrl Stare. Anyway Angela, who I've been meaning to interview since her days as a founding producer of this dot com, has a knack for writing dialogue and lining it up with her thought processes so that the story is humorous in that self-deflating way that is simultaneously intellectual and silly; nostalgic and empowering.

Aight, all caught up? Check ya later and I promise it won't be a month later!

The Roots, Erykah Badu & Dave Chappelle @Radio City

On Friday night I went to see The Roots. I thought I was going with GT, but at the last minute I discovered I was on my own. No problem cause I'ma hustla baby. At 8pm, showtime, I was sittin' pretty and ticketless at B. Smith's having drinks with my cousins (whom I introduced to Lady B herself who was having dinner with her hubby). At 8:45pm I was sitting mid-orchestra right on the aisle and next to a really cool sista, Safiya, who quickly became my Radio City Cut Buddy. Yeah, I got my NYC hustle on and used all of my Boogie Down bionics and ebonics and copped great seats! Don't ask cause I'll never tell.

By the time I got there I had missed most of Mos. But from all accounts I heard he was fresh. Jack Davey was J*Davey. I just don’t get it. I like their recorded ish so much, but live, well they just don't move me. As a matter of fact I guess that sentiment was shared throughout the arena cause folks started walking out to the concession stands like prisoners on the first day of work release. Rocking hot pants and a Native American headdress, Jack looked sexy as hell, but her vocals sounded so teany-- they just didn’t seem strong enough to handle the vastness of RCMH. Safiya leaned over and whispered: "She looks cute but so do most of the sisters here tonight so she really needed to come correct on her vocals and she is so not." She then showed me a text from her cousin who was also in the house and it read, "She's a hot mess!" On that note I headed out to get a drink. I was still feeling myself for making some very sly maneuvers earlier that evening that resulted in my wonderful seats, so I ordered Alize Passion on the rocks. Very Boogie Down! Like I said, I was feeling quite gully.

Next up was Dave Chappelle and he damn near stole the show. Yep it was the Dave Chappelle Show up in that piece for a good 10-15 mins. With lines or should I say, observations, like: I don't show up for sh*t. I don't even show up for my own show, so you know this has got to be hot, and I'm the very first missing Black person America has ever looked for, you know Dave was bringing the intellectual comedic goods. It was like homie was bursting at the seams with anecdotes. And considering the cancellation of his show I guess Dave did have a lot of material. I really don't know what was funnier his theory on Planet of The Apes and how the original title was probably Planet of the Ni**as or his philosophical musings about Iceberg Slim and how it is the key to understanding the game of life. He was so on point and had us so in the palm of his hand that when he paused to mull something over you could hear ice melting in abandoned cups back in the lobby at the concession stand.

After that everything and everybody was just jittering from excitement, awe and sheer delight. Well, that was until Bilal hit the stage. As soon as I heard those first notes I exclaimed, "Yo, I can’t believe he’s covering this song." As James Poyser and Kirk Douglass started eeking out those distinctively sonorous notes of Everything in its Right Place, I was floored by the selection and was crazy curious to see how shorty was going to rock this Radiohead joint. Needless to say he didn’t. He held onto and mangled the notes as he sang eeeehhh vreeeeeetheeannngg so that he sounded like a crackhead pleading for another hit, whining and screeching that he would give everythiiinnnng for just another hit. Even though he loved it, I hated it! This cat was so off key that he couldn't hit a note to save his life never mind this performance.

Moving along, the always beautiful Erykah Badu rocked the stage lovely. Singing a number of her joints including You Got Me, Other Side of The Game and Tyrone, she blessed the set and then in her usual gracefully gully way, she straight ripped it! We were on our feet from beginning to end and oh what an ending. After Badu walked out stage right, some dude entered from stage left wearing a hood over his head. All of a sudden we hear Public Service Announcement and the hood flies off and it’s muckingfuther Jay-Z in the house. What?! It was insane! I caught myself acting like a dang groupie at a Menudo concert. Everyone was screaming and jumping up and down. Madness! Of course he did Encore and in between all of that Hova-Baduism, The Roots jammed Pussy Galore, The Seed, Lighters Up and a bunch of other classics. It was an absolutely beautiful night!

The Pink Side of HipHop: Images of Black Women in Rap Music Videos

I finally made it to Brooklyn this past Saturday to The Reel Sisters Film Fest panel on images of Black women in film. I say "finally" because with that summery weather in effect, everyone I know including myself, was outdoors, chillin at sidewalk cafes and avoiding at all costs, long trips on the subway and even longer moments indoors in some university auditorium. Anyway by the time I arrived panelists and audience members were talking about women in music videos, which isn't film but I guess in terms of Black women and images shaping popular thought and powerful mediums than I guess BET trumps MGM, and videos hos not Regina King are the hot topics of the day. (Sidebar: The success behind Tyler Perry's films and plays were mentioned in reference to the differences in high and low Black entertainment—for the record Madea is considered low and is extremely popular and therefore should be analyzed as one way of pinpointing the social behaviors and pleasures of Black folk. I heard Halle and Monster's Ball was never even mentioned, my oh my how we've moved on!)

The panel was pretty much the usual fare served up in black feminism discourse. You know... the way in which rap music is detrimental to the psyche of sisters and is having a huge affect on young girls around issues of self-esteem and body image and how these hiphop videos define Black female idenity on a global level. It also seems like "It’s Hard Out Here for A Pimp" and specifically its Oscar honor has many a folk upset--like undies-in-a-bunch upset. (More on that later too...or this post will be of encyclopedia like proportions)

Anyway I've heard it all before so if my short-hand makes the panel discussion sound like empty blabber, scuse me, cause that’s not my intention. I've just been to too many panels about this subject and for me they just don't inspire. Instead they simultaneously infuriate and bore me (actually the fact that I'm usually bored about what should be a sizzling topic is what leads to the infuriation), which may not necessarily be a bad thing b/c it makes my wandering, incensed mind think about what I can do through my writings to be progressive, proactive and inspiring. But there were two standout memories. The first was how very few people showed up (again the beautiful weather had to be a factor), but how frickin' dynamically bright and well versed the members of the audience were (well except for 1, but that's my 2nd standout memory). In the audience: Bethann Hardison, Greg Tate, Charles Stone, Arthur Jafa, Michaela angela Davis, Shola Lynch, and Vince Morgan.

Some of the things said that I liked:

Jacquie Jones (moderator): "I don’t think it’s okay to make money at our exepense. There needs to be more critical engagement by those that consume these images. Russell Simmons has two daughters and can’t even answer questions on the topic. It's crazy."

Charles Stone: "I think there's no sense of imagination-- guys aren't imagining what a woman looks like without clothes instead it's just about seeing cleavage. With technology's popularity it's just about instant gratification."

Joan Morgan: "When you talk about and critique these images, you give them power."

The 2nd standout moment was when this Black woman filmmaker got up and said that she didn't understand why the panel (and audience) was wasting so much time discussing the perils of how these images affected young girls and how rap music videos promoted unhealthy sexual attitudes between Black girls and boys. She basically was of the mindset that it's the parents responsibility to mold and set the bar for how Black kids behave, and that rappers and filmmakers shouldn't be burdened with the responsibility of having healthy images and portrayals of Black folk in their works. That would be fine and dandy if the Black Family was still intact and on the up and up, but I thought everyone knew that TV, movies, video games and Trina are shaping the consciousness of Black adolescents and adult males and females.

True I didn't grow up wanting to be a stripper or having the desire to shake my booty in some video (even though I did about 11 years ago). Me and my girls grew-up making mud pies, playing double-dutch and eating FDA approved meals every night with our folks. But then again the TV programs of choice back then were The Electric Company and Fame and later they became Video Music Box, Kojak and Dallas. A far cry from today's totally popular BET's "Uncut", Sex and The City, MTV's "Real World." By no means did I ever want to re-enact the crazy shower scenes featuring JR Ewing and his many mistresses. And Music Box was no Music Television! It was harmless hiphop profiling that featured cats around our way in videos shot in someone's basement or in the some park. There were no video vixens just girls chillin (albeit in the background) in their Le Tigre tops and Lee jeans. We knew about the prostitutes in Times Square and Hunts Point and that the strip joint over the bridge going to Pelham right before you got to IHOP hired some high school girls, so we heard. But we thought all of that was nasty and being nasty was being unladylike. We wanted to be doctors, teachers and actresses like Diana Ross in Mahoghany...we wanted to be ladies. I mean when we wore miniskirts we usually had shorts underneath cause no one was down for having their booty accidentally exposed. It just wasn't fresh back then. So times they are a changing and yeah it may be hard out here for a pimp, but it's even harder out here for 12-year old girls who give blow jobs to be popular and whose parents have no clue or worse could care less. Infuriated indeed!

For Colored Grrrls

Without even realizing it, I woke up this morning feeling like I've somehow gotten off track with my life, career, writing. Well maybe not off-track as much as meandering too much along the way. I know what I want to do but have been so damn over analytical about how to get there that I’ve lost focused almost entirely. Anyway this morning I awoke with the kind of sharpness and clarity that knocks you out of bed, onto your knees and then on to the computer where I wrote the words I am a Black Woman Journalist. What does this mean exactly? So many things. Too many to discuss now and in this space, but right now for me it means that I need to be SERIOUS about the business of writing about the beauty, complexity, simplicity and madness that generates from, envelopes throughout and blesses the lives of grrrls like me. This awakening is probably a result of a few experiences I’ve recently encountered.

The first was this absolutely dope performance by Imani Uzuri of Her Holy Water: A Black Girl’s Rock Opera on the 14th. She sang songs with lines like “I’m a diamond in the sky/ I’m a Black woman;” Had the greatest commentary in between songs like: “Carrie from Sex & The City may have rocked Manolo Blahniks but my shoes are $5.99 from Payless and guess what, my life is epic too” or my favorite: “You know all of us came from a Black woman and it seems like most of you are trying to get back up in one!” Imani said afterwards that the naming of her opera as being specifically a Black Girl’s version was the recognition on her part that she was always being classified as being a Black Girl first—before artist, before singer, before musician, so in line with that, she has embraced the identity as a form of resistance, pride and in tribute to past works like For Colored Girls, which had the same impact for Ntozake Shange.

The second revelation occurred in Harlem while at Iman’s (official) Day of Beauty event at Hue Man Bookstore. Iman, who is stunning in person, was there with the official proclamation (signed by the mayor himself) in hand. She signed copies of her book while her make-up artists gave free makeovers. So there were a gang of folks in the place and besides Iman, the other big draw was the unveiling of a mural featuring the photos of Black & Latina girls mainly from the neighborhood. Well oddly enough this mural, which was supposed to be huge, was tiny--small enough to fit on my bathroom wall. I was stunned as I had been one of the sisters that came out to be photographed that weekend before and I know that there were atleast 55 girls that day alone so I know over the course of three days the 100 or so photos I saw could not have been representational of all who came out to pose. And sure nuff, as I stood there looking at the mural I would say no less than 20 sisters walked up to the collage of photos and stared and then with utter disappointment said things like, “I wonder why I didn’t make the cut” or why was I left out and she put on” pointing to one of the many light skinned girls featured. I asked the woman in charge what happened to the supposed grandiose mural and she said that there was a snafu and this wasn’t what was originally planned but this is what they got.

After noticing that my photo too had not been one of the lucky ones selected for the muralita, I decided to hang-out and observe and what I saw surprised me. I was moved, fascinated by the responses of people. Women, and I mean grown a*s Black women were slightly pissed, but mostly so, so sad that their face was not among the images on display. I didn’t realize that these mamas I see walking down 1-2-5 had such sensitive and fragile levels of self-esteem. Many seemed to get over the disappointment though by getting a makeover. I had to ask myself how damaging was this so-called Day of Beauty becoming? Right when these sisters felt like they had fallen short of qualifying for the Beauty Mural they were enticed by free make-up and makeovers. What the hell kinda message is that sending out to the Uptown Girls that were pinpointed for this event? So you're Black and ugly, but don't fret cause make-up makes you beautiful!?

And speaking of makeover jobs, the third incident that brought me back to the middle was the brouhaha over the Vanity Fair cover featuring Beyonce where this was alleged. To me she looks just as light as she does on the cover of Essence (but that shot was a lil’ out of focus so I could be wrong). She's a fair skinned chica, whatever!

That's so not important in the larger scope of things. That scope being there hasn’t been a Black woman on a VF cover for over 10 years. Now that my friend is insane! We are sorta missing the point by just focusing on the airbrushing issue. If VF feels that we are only significant every decade or so, then eff them! Why are there no boycotts to not buy the damn mag at all? Where's our motivation to do something powerful with our dollar?

The last thing that led to my current moment of clarity was an Images of Women in Pop Culture panel sponsored by NOW held last Thursday. Jean Kilbourne’s award-winning documentary “Killing Us Softly,” was shown and it was really interesting-- despite the footage being so old, the themes were still relevant. When the panel began and the grrrls on the panel introduced themselves their seemed to be this tension mounting on the dais-- a tension that I’ve seen so many times before at events just like this. The panelists selected for these types of feminist joints are so clichéd. The white women are usually over the top liberal lesbians with something to prove and the Black women always seem annoyed, angry and tired. Just as I start packing it up to leave, this white woman runs up to the stage and takes a seat on the panel. She introduced herself and made everyone laugh and really turned the panel around. Her name was Wendy Shanker and she's the bomb. Her shtick is centered on being a fat women but she was relatable to all the women in the audience because she was insightful, witty and humorous with her commentary. It made me realize how fricking academic and staid issues around beauty and self-esteem are and have been. How we need to maybe get rid of the word feminism and replace it with fatty gal, I&I, theHotness or something else that doesn’t cling to ivory towers, but resonates in the hood with colored grrrls who like Popeye’s, their long nails painted hot pink, their hair cornrowed on an angle and who need to know they are diamonds in the sky and that they look fine without a pound of makeup on their skin.

Yes, I am a Black Woman Journalist!