When Annika was a baby, I once casually mentioned to Toyin that I’d like to dress her as Snow White for Halloween. He rolled his eyes and scoffed, “You can’t dress a black child as Snow White!” He was joking, mostly. But even so, that year, I dressed her as a kitty cat, because she [...]
Categories: Bi-racial, Parenting, Race, Racial Identity, Racism, Uncategorized
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Tags: Bi-racial, Race, Racial Identity, Racism
Nothing has change since Trayvon Martin’s murder. We are still prejudiced against black males.
Categories: Racism, Uncategorized
| Tags: Racism
I’m a civil rights fraud.
Categories: Austin, Detroit, Intentions, Life, Racism, Uncategorized
Last night I read a book to Annika on civil rights called, The Story of Ruby Bridges. It’s an elementary version of school integration about a 6-year-old girl, one of the first black children to go to school in white school. The story details a mild version of the girl who was honored to be [...]
Categories: Books, Racism, Uncategorized
Years ago, long before I met Toyin and long before Annika was a sparkle in my brain, I have this vague memory of being introduced to the idea that it’s important for people to be properly represented in the media. This notion came by way of watching an interview with a Hispanic comedian who talked [...]
Categories: Bi-racial, Racial Identity, Racism, Uncategorized
| Tags: Bi-racial, Racial Identity, Racism
Last week I got into a little disagreement on Facebook, through a comment thread on an acquaintance’s page. I left a comment saying that people who fly confederate flags are generally not the kind of people who a black man (or woman) might want to be caught in a dark alley with. My point was [...]
Categories: Race, Racism, Uncategorized
| Tags: Race, Racism
So George Zimmerman has been arrested. And everyone is happy. The racist bastard has been caught and will be judged. Except, I have to admit, it doesn’t feel like all is right with the world. It did at first. I was elated that he’d finally been charged. And I still think it’s the right answer. [...]
Categories: Race, Racism, Uncategorized
| Tags: Race, Racism
As we watch the story of Trayvon Martin’s murder unfold, or rather, as we grasp at straws and wonder why the hell it’s NOT unfolding, I am reminded just how weak is our understanding about what racial equality means. It’s a very healthy reminder for me, the mother of a brown-skinned child. A mother who [...]
Categories: Racism, Uncategorized
| Tags: Racism
In my last post I wondered how much Black History Month, which happens every February, will affect Annika’s when she’s old enough to understand the racist history of our country. It got me to thinking, as I have every February for the past few years, about the history of being biracial. Since becoming pregnant with [...]
Categories: Bi-racial, Racial Identity, Racism, Uncategorized
It’s time for my yearly bitch about how I can’t find black/biracial/dark-skinned-in-general dolls in general stores. My biggest complaint is with stores like HEB, Walgreens, CVS, (Wal-mart if I shopped there often enough) and Target. I”m mainly focusing on these stores because I hate to shop, I don’t go to malls, and I’m not going [...]
Categories: Bi-racial, Motherhood, Race, Racial Identity, Racism, Uncategorized
| Tags: Annika, Bi-racial, Multi-racial, Race, Racial Identity, Racism
