Calling in the A-Squad

"You were sent here to protect us but who protects us from you" ~ KRS-1

For Black History Month I decided to invite other Bloggers to write on my Blog. I wanted other perspectives on Black History Month. They are all bloggers with personalities that differ from mine. And I hope you enjoyed them. I believe that my fellow bloggers have a disdain for the Mainstream Media. The Black Bloggers especially seem to have a lack of respect for them. That’s why a lot of people started blogging. They…..We…. essential thought we could do a better job. Some bloggers will be modest and tell you that’s not the reason but it is. I look at some of the bloggers on my blog list and they are talking about issues that I don’t hear on Mainstream Television and Radio. They are also giving insightful commentary about some of today’s issues. Even the gossip and celebrity blogs are beating out the MSM entertainment shows regarding information. Now I’m not suggesting that I want to hear about baby mama’s and breast implants but everyone has different tastes.


I do believe bloggers need to stay on top of the events because someone has too. After years of providing our window to the world, the MSM is running on fumes. The MSM’s marriage with corporations has finally caught up to them. The lack of oversight has finally caught up to them. The inability to be able to adjust to a changing demographic has finally caught up to them. If a news organization doesn’t hold peoples feet to the fire, what good is it to me? If a news organization only gives you the news that they want to give you, what good is it to me? The news has been massaged and dumbed down before we receive it. It reminds me of when a mother bird chews a baby birds’ food before they eat it. The journalists that are providing the news are compromised. They either are in the pockets of corporations or they are afraid of the government. Their job is to ask the tough questions so we can get honest answers.


Somebody has to stay on top of organizations such as the Congressional Black Caucus. They are supposed to represent mostly minority districts but what are they really doing for their constituents? We also need to call out racism, sexism, classism and ageism whenever we can. I think we do a good job but we will eventually have to step it up a notch. We don’t exactly know what that is yet but we will handle it when we arrive at that point (I hope!!). Thanks again to my fellow Bloggers.

Earl Francis Lloyd

I met Earl Lloyd at this past weekend’s Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Tournament in Charlotte N.C. I generally don’t talk to dudes in the bathroom unless I know them but I remember Mr. Lloyd from TV. Actually it was from an excellent documentary called Black Magic. He was washing his hands so we gave each other an elbow bump. I kept getting the information wrong about him (his college, his professional team) but he could tell that I did watch the video. Mr. Lloyd was one of the first African Americans (or whatever they are calling us this week) to play in the National Basketball Association. The great thing about meeting him was that he wasn’t stuck up. He was extremely friendly in our brief encounter. Lloyd and others like him paved the way for the current NBA players. Meeting him made me think about the rich Legacy that black folks have. If current NBA players, only knew what their predecessors had to go through for them to play in the league now. And if Historically Black Colleges and University alumni, only knew of the rich athletic heritage that came from their schools.

The next British soul sensation???

Introducing British fashionista, recording artist, songwriter and producer VV Brown.

http://vvbrown.com/

Alpha's Up All Night - CIAA 2010 Tournament.

Shout Out to my Critics….ooops my Critic.

Constructive Feedback is back in the building and he’s got something to say. What exactly? I don’t know but I will try to decipher for the folks at home.


In the comment section of my last post “Tiger Woods Hijacked Black History Month” Black Blogospheres favorite critic “Constructive Feedback” left the following notes and I responded to them.


CF - Pardon me Ojo - but could you tell us which "White man" "gave us" the shortest month of the year? Or if he wasn't "white" WHO did it?


Me - Dr. Carter G. Woodson originated “Negro History Week” in the early 1900’s. In the late 80’s it became “Black History Month” also referred to as African-American Heritage Month. Woodson chose the month of February because it marked the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. In my first part of the “Tiger Woods” post, I said “Black Folks get the shortest month of the year and Tiger Woods couldn’t give us 28 days?” For this - Feedback alluded to me inferring that a white person gave us the month of February. I said black folks have the shortest month and that is FACT. I didn’t mention anything about “White Folks” and that is also a FACT. The notion that I mentioned “white men throwing us February as a bone” is FICTION.


CF - Oh yeah - now "They" are coming after the sacred spaces:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=016C4sUj5_8&feature=player_embedded
Zeta Tau Alpha Sorority wins the step show.


Me – So this is why people are upset about the step show. I wondering why an AKA I knew was pissed off. For full disclosure, I pledged a Black Fraternity in college but I never cared much for step shows. Feedback wants you to believe that I am fearful of white folks crowding in on “Black Institutions.” So some White Chicks won a Step Show sponsored by a soda company. Big Deal!! If Black folks are so upset, then they should have told Sprite to keep it for Black Greeks only. Kudos to the caucasian sisters for stepping, jumping, hoping and whatever else they did. The attempt to tie in a step show to my post is a stretch. Tiger Woods wasted a moment in time confessing to something that is between a man and a woman. He did that for his sponsors and to clean up his image. Those chicks were in a competition for some type of prize. Huh!? Feedback, nice try but no dice. Thanks for playing and come back again…..but not too soon.

Tavis Smiley is Black in the Building.

I thought black folks said that Tavis was calling it quits with the State of the Black Union. Then what is this Black Agenda business? I came to the party late and heard Rev. Al Sharpton giving Tavis the “bizness” on his radio show yesterday. Tavis is still upset with President Obama because Obama’s black agenda is invisible. I still don’t know why blacks are surprised because Obama never said he was going to do anything for blacks. You have to stay on Obama like every other president. People drunk “hope and change” like cheap liquor and ended up with a headache. I guess Tavis is going to bring in the “usual suspects” to sit around and talk about Obama. I’m not carrying water for Obama and I’m not cheering for Tavis. Even though I’m not taking sides something is funny in the State of Denmark. The fact that they decided to do this in Obama’s hometown is suspect at best. They are too late if they are trying to shame him. Democrats in Illinois have been doing that since he’s been in office. Today some lady was actually trying to debate Rev Al on the difference between Tavis and Roland Martin. She said that Roland was a mouthpiece for Obama and Tavis is his own man standing up to Obama and his policies. WTH!! Sometimes black folks call Rev. Al with a lot of foolishness. If I was him, I would cut the phone lines but I digress. It’s going to be really interesting to see what happens from this Black Agenda. Maybe Tavis will write another book. Well at least after he finishes publishing R Kelly’s book.

Tiger Woods Hijacked Black History Month!!!

Black Folks get the shortest month of the year and Tiger Woods couldn’t give us 28 days? Why couldn’t he have waited until March to give his mea culpa? Now the media will spend the rest of February talking about Tiger and his women. And it didn’t help that one of his jump-offs had a press conference the same day asking for an apology. He could have gone to sit (or in Tom Cruises case….Jump) on Oprah’s couch in March. Tiger is one of the worst adulterers in the history of Adultery. He had more women than a Chicago Pimp and he didn’t know what to do with them. Apparently he didn’t learn anything from hanging with Michael Jordan. People, I can’t make this stuff up!!!! This Black History Month interruption was unnecessary and unwarranted. His apology is only good for his wife, sponsors and The PGA. As an average citizen that can’t afford to golf in a private club I don’t care. Tiger was calablasion until the media got a hold of him. Now we see the media doesn’t see any difference between him and O.J. Simpson.

I’m so sick of the media analysis of Tiger’s behavior. He doesn’t have a sex addiction. His problem is he slept with a lot of women and was cheap with it. He wouldn’t even pay rent for one of his chicks. If anything, he should go to cheap peoples rehab. I’m also sick of Black Folks analysis of Tiger. Besides his work with inner city youth, he has proven that he doesn’t get down with us like that. If you look at his mistresses, you can tell what he likes. Out of all of the 15 or 20 women that he allegedly slept (or have said they slept with him) with, not one was a woman of color (any color!!). Some of those women looked beat up from the ground up. A Billionaire sleeping with busted chicks? Bruce Wayne didn’t get down like that. Tiger can date whoever he wants but black folks shouldn’t rally behind him like he is a persecuted civil rights fighter. He doesn’t get that option!!! Tiger is a guy that cheated on his wife. That’s all he is – nothing more – nothing less.

When they promise you a taste of “life in the ghetto” you can thank Hollywood and Wack Rappers.

A White Fraternity at UC San Diego decided to celebrate Black History Month the best way they knew how. The good men of Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity decide to have a ghetto-themed "Compton Cookout." Nothing says Black History Month like urging women to dress as "ghetto chicks" that "usually have gold teeth, start fights and drama, and wear cheap clothes."

Somewhere there is an ill informed black person that is saying “its 2010, I can’t believe this type of stuff is still happening.” Well dummy, it is!!! I’m not going to go into the usual “Boycott/Request someone be fired/I hate racist people/ rant because I’ll save that for the Rev. Jesse Jackson (if he isn’t somewhere fixated on President Obama’s nuts).

Danny Widener, a UC San Diego History Professor, said that less than 2% of the undergraduates at the school are Black. And he described the environment as being, “inhospitable to them.” He also said “the campus climate is one in which you (i.e. Black Folks) are constantly regarded as a statistical anomaly at best.”

Well Professor if you know this, why are you still teaching at “KKK University?” This is problematic because it speaks to the overall climate of the university. Why do blacks make up only 2% of the campus population? What is UC San Diego doing to actively recruit blacks? Is it possible that the lack of diversity on campus has made white students feel that their ignorance towards blacks will be rewarded? And why are minority professors teaching at places that don’t promote diversity. Trying to get tenured? Wanting to work somewhere close to the beach?

I’m biased because I went to an HBCU for undergrad. Unlike the black folks at UC San Diego, I went to a school that actually wanted me there. I didn’t have to worry about being discriminated against during Black History Month. Sometimes it might not be in your best intrest to fit in, because you might get what you pay for......but I digress.

Once again, white folks have decided to play fast and loose with stereotypes to get a quick and cheap laugh. The majority of blacks don’t live like these played out stereotypes but that doesn’t stop Hollywood or your favorite Rapper from portraying the types. Sometimes I don’t’ know who to be mad at. Hollywood for pandering to white audiences with inaccurate portraits of black life or Rappers for pandering to white and black audiences with how they think black life is. Happy Black History Month people!!!!

Guest Post: Would our generation stand and deliver?

Next up for Black History Month is OneChele from Black & Bougie. Don't be suprised that I know people from the bourgeois set!! OneChele is an author, entrepreneur and internet radio talk show host. If there is a hustle to be found, she is working the Hell out of it. I will warn you though. If you stay around her too long, your inner bougie will come out. Without further ado - OneChele.


We are smack in the middle of Black History Month. It’s a month where I go out of my way to find interesting articles, books, TV shows and movies to re-educate myself on how I got here. You see, I recognize that I did not arrive here on my own or by my parents’ efforts alone. I am a free black woman with house, car and credit rating because people came before me, my parents, their parents and their parents’ parents made sacrifices, pushed for change, stood up, walked miles, shed tears, spilled blood, prayed and fought tooth and nail to get me here. Working in fields, sitting in the back of busses, being spit on, mopping floors, cleaning toilets on the other side of town, called all out our names, marching in rain (sleet, slow), being willing to catch a case (or a bullet) for the cause… is this someone “our” generation is willing to do?


Our generation is pampered, protected and pretentious. Slavery, the Civil Rights Movement, even the Sexual Revolution are a little before our time. We can bear witness to the history and appreciate the end results but let’s face it: We are a media-centric group. We are well-versed in talking the talk and spreading the news but would we (could we) walk the walk? We (people of color) united for the election of President Obama but in less than one year’s time we have fallen back into finger-pointing and partitioning as if the dream has been realized and there’s nothing left but the post-game commentary. It’s almost as if we are passengers in the “post-racism” car and we are looking at the driver saying, “Are we there yet?”


I can’t imagine that this society where words are twisted, talent is more concept than reality and people are famous for no good reason at all is the imagined realization of all the blood, sweat and tears of those who came before us. The dreams of our forefathers are not realized until each and every person of color is fed, clothed, secure and educated (if they so choose), until “no child left behind” is more than a catchy t-shirt slogan and our young people quit killing each other in the street over stupidity. That’s quite a list of goals. Just typing it lets me know how far we still have to go. As far as we’ve come, there are still miles to go before we sleep… and no unified effort to get us there. We are a little bit adrift of black leadership a la Malcolm or Martin right now. Years of infighting and skepticism have us divided over what the next step should be let alone who should lead us there. I believe it’s going to come down to what President Obama said while on the campaign trail, “The change you seek begins with you.”


Admittedly, I’m a checkbook activist. The role that I play is armchair quarterback and cheerleader. When I see an injustice, I write about it, pass the word and find out where to send a check. I’ve been contemplating joining a mentoring program for a while but haven’t quite pulled the trigger. Spending time in the blogosphere and around social media allows me to witness a lot of “virtual activists”. I see a lot of people railing at the system and pointing out inequities. It’s a rare few who are actually up, out and doing something about it. So I wonder, if it was up to us… our generation… to answer the call to advance equality and freedoms for the race… do we have it in us to do?


I’d like to think yes when push came to shove and shove came to the young, black blogosphere we would rise up to do what needed to be done… I still think we can overcome… unless someone offers us a reality show on VH1, a really amusing awards show is on, or gmail goes down. Then the revolution would have to wait. Because we do have our priorities.

Here is a Black History Month Fact. This Nobel Peace Prize winner was a Radical.

We must fight until Hell freezes over and then fight on the Ice. ~ Vertner Woodson Tandy

Radical - a person who favors drastic political, economic, or social reforms by advocating fundamental change by direct and often uncompromising methods.

Professor Gates, you can keep those chains.

In a further attempt to mask America’s social ills with levity, Harvard professor Henry Louis “Skip” Gates is donating his infamous handcuffs to the new National Museum of African American History and Culture. You remember awhile back when Gates was arrested for “Breaking In” to his own house by an overzealous Sgt James Crowley. His white neighbor called the police on him because she noticed a suspicious character around “His” house. The incident touched off a faux racial firestorm. Some black officers stepped up to defend Crowley – even in the face of Uncle Tom taunts. President Obama was rebuked by white folks for “defending his own” in his response to the incident. And for a brief moment (extremely brief) black folks thought they saw the real 1st black president. But in the end, everything was brushed over with Beer and Peanuts at the White House.

How did Gates get those handcuffs you might wonder? Apparently Gates received the handcuffs from Crowley when they met for a drink after the “White House Beer Summit.” Again you are wondering why Crowley gave him the handcuffs. Maybe Gates asked for them because he is a collector of slave memorabilia? Or maybe Crowley wanted him to have a reminder of his walk of shame to the precinct. Either way, the National Museum of African American History and Culture does not need those handcuffs. I would rather see the handcuffs that were used on the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, El-Hajj Malik El Shabazz aka Malcolm X and any of the participants (Known and Unknown) in the Civil Rights Movement. But I don’t want to see the handcuffs that were put on Gates. His chains don’t represent Black History. They represent the covering up of it.

Guest Post: If We don't remember History.. we're doomed to repeat it.

My next Black History guest blogger is a Freelance Writer/Blogger. She also is currently working on her first children’s book. Two of her passions are promoting literacy education and the prevention of abused and neglected children. Without further ado - I would like to introduce Literary Nobody.

Side Note: Please do not be fooled by the title “Nobody.” This lady is getting ready to be bigger than Buffalo Wings.



February marks innovations and progress in African-American culture. We all know very well the many black men and women who took firm stands to fight for God given freedoms. We have also have learned of those whose inventions revolutionized the world.

However, according to Webster's Dictionary history is defined as:

The branch of knowledge dealing with past events. A continuous, systematic narrative of past events as relating to a particular people, country, period, or person Many feel history can only be equated with events that happened long ago by well known people. But, history is what we accomplished yesterday, last week, last month, last year, and so on.

Thinking about our present history what has been accomplished recently? To take it even to a more organic level what have we done to affect our individual history in our own family, our relationships, our viewpoints and attitudes about other people? What kind of history are we creating in our own lives?

The beauty of learning about history is that it is an iron clad reminder. Sometimes of successes, but other times failures. Point being, unless we understand our own individual histories of our mistakes, we are doomed to repeat them.

We remember history so as to not forget the good times and the bad. Now is the time to create a new history. Collectively and individually. As a race. The human race. Let's build upon our history by working to not repeat our own mistakes or the mistakes of those who have gone before us, past and present. Let's make history that others will be proud to recount about us and that will set an example for years to come.

Measha Brueggergosman

Canadian Measha Brueggergosman, soprano singer, performed the Olympic Hymn at Friday Nights Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Olympic Games. Pretty good for someone that just had open-heart surgery last year and could have possibly died. Listen to her here.

Black Women, don’t let John Mayer’s penis distract you.

I’m so sick of hearing about John Mayer!! I wasn’t going to blog about it but its Saturday and people are still talking about it. I heard one woman ask on a radio show “how did John Mayer get so popular?” Lady, where have you been? Now Holly Robinson Peete has made a comment about it… Black Women, I beg you!! Leave This Alone!! This is a weapon of mass distraction!!! Let’s look at what he said in the Playboy Interview -


MAYER:
On Being Cool With Black Folks - Someone asked me the other day, "What does it feel like now to have a hood pass?" And by the way, it's sort of a contradiction in terms, because if you really had a hood pass, you could call it a nigger pass. Why are you pulling a punch and calling it a hood pass if you really have a hood pass? But I said, "I can’t really have a hood pass. I've never walked into a restaurant, asked for a table and been told, 'We're full.'"

On Romance And Love - I don't think I open myself to it. My dick is sort of like a white supremacist. I've got a Benetton heart and a fuckin' David Duke cock. I'm going to start dating separately from my dick.


So what does this really mean? The man said he likes everybody but he only sleeps with white women. Okay? He is a white man! Are black women really upset because a white man only dates white women? Now I understand being upset over his use of the “N” word. But we shouldn’t be surprised. Barack Obama’s presidency has brought out peoples true feelings. Add to the fact that his black friends probably let him use the word. Yep! There are black folks letting white folks use the “N” word. It seems that our pride and respect crawled into the casket with the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

I understand about holding people accountable but we have bigger fish to fry at this point. Censure Mayer – Ask for a verbal or written apology – wait for him to come out of his concert and beat him with a cane.

We need to get back to this 15% - 17% Unemployment for Black Men. The 3rd wave of Subprime Loans that are about to hit. The Banks that refuse to give loans to small family businesses. The missing Green Jobs that were promised and could help residents in poor neighborhoods.

Let’s not waste anymore energy on an interview in a skin magazine. Focus People!!!

Guest Post: A guide to knowing your Beige People.

My next guest blogger for Black History Month represents the West Coast. She has one of the funniest blogs on the web. She also has her own Self-Rental business. If you need an extra light bright person to hang in your crew, give her a call @ 1-800-IM-BEIGE. Without further ado - Tokenbeigechick



I was in San Francisco a couple weeks ago and I met this guy, (we’ll call him Luke), who was from Philadelphia. In the midst of our conversation, I made a joke about somebody once telling me I resembled Prince. Luke then claimed that he had never heard of Prince prior to watching select episodes of the Dave Chappelle Show. He also didn’t get my joke :(


I was stunned and refused to believe this nonsense. Who are you and what planet do you live on where short mystical beige people with musical talent elude your existence? How shameful. However, not too soon after my shock wore off, he rebutted me with, “We’ll have you ever heard of Jim Morrison?” The name sounded familiar, but I’m not going to lie, I had to Google him before I was like, “Oh yeah, THAT white guy.” And of course, this launched a debate. For a brief moment it was very important for the both of us to justify why the other person’s idol was so elusive.


Yes, Luke is white and I’m half black. And although it shouldn’t matter it still remains relevant. I wondered could the only common ground among the races as far as entertainment be Michael Jackson and the rap genre. Are Idols among races only relevant when they are doing something ignorant? Or is race not important and I’m making a similar Kanye West-like bold statement, about how black people don’t know white music and white people just don’t care?


[Insert Kanye shrug here]


Anyway, the state of music over the last decade, as it suffers to deliver quality and inspire, is one thing people of all races could potentially agree on. Therefore, I think that it's important that everyone knows who the artists were before all this musical coonery. In honor of Black History Month I am going to dedicate the rest of this post to a short tutorial of who Prince is...

Meet Prince aka The artist formerly known as Prince: singer, song singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Favorite color: Purple. Controversial: Yes. Famous for: Purple Rain, ruffles, deep intriguing voice, playa status and permy goodness. Awards: 7 Grammys, A Golden Globe and an Academy Award. Songs you may know: “When Doves Cry,” “Kiss” or go figure, “Purple Rain.”

For other random facts regarding Black History Month go here: http://littleknownblackhistoryfacts.tumblr.com/

BET: Hustling Backwards!! It’s too late, the damage is done.

Apparently last year Black Entertainment Television decided to conduct a survey on their network. They wanted to show that all blacks were diverse with different interests (somewhere the Devil is laughing). This was done in an attempt to gain advertisers and programmers. CEO Viceroy Debra Lee did a good job with keeping this one under wraps. I guess BET didn’t want to admit that they’ve lost advertisers over the years. It’s not a surprise that people jumped off the BET Titanic with such “Gems” like “Cita’s World,” “Hell Date,” “Frankie & Neffe,” “Tiny and Toya,” and everyone’s favorite “BET: Uncut.”


Side Note: If you ever wondered why your middle school daughter let boys slide credit cards up her butt, look no further than BET: Uncut.


You can look at the results yourself for understanding but I don’t need to. It’s idiotic that a black owned white owned stationed ran by black folks would need to study black folks. It should be their business from DAY 1 to know what black folks like and don’t like. BET’s biggest problem was that they dumbed down their content because they thought black folks were monolithic. Appealing to certain age groups while excluding others is how they got here in the first place. Black Entertainment Television is suppose to be for all Blacks – not just the young, tatted, ebonic speaking, pseudo-thugs/hoes/pimps/pimpettes that are mainstays on the network. To say it in a vernacular that BET would best understand. Once again, you are tardy to the party.

Pseudo-Christians maintaining the ills of America.

As a Norwegian, looking at the U.S. health care debate from the outside, I cannot help but laugh sometimes. It seems like the word “socialism” has become a swear word. In Norway, we just re-elected a “socialist” government. That does not mean that we live in a communist state. We have full-fledged capitalism over here, and we are just about the richest country in the world, per capita. But we have chosen to let the state supply world class health care to all inhabitants.

To allow private insurance companies to let private profit maximizing decisions get in between a patient and a doctor is close to unethical for us. In Norway, you get the same care no matter if you are a homeless drunk or the C.E.O. of one of the biggest companies. And that’s how it should be. They say that the measure of a country’s success lies in how it treats its most unfortunate citizens.


— Gjert Myrestrand (as posted on The New York Times Website by a Norwegian citizen)



As a Christian, I call foul on America!!! America pretends to call itself a God Fearing Nation but that is in name only. This is especially when it comes to Poor people. Before someone calls me a communist, socialist or whatever tea-bagger term is popular during this current Obama Administration, please refer to the Bible. It is better to be dirt poor in a 3rd world country than to be poor in the U.S.A. This country Hates Poor People!!! And as a so called Christian Nation…..that’s shameful. Two weeks ago the Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina equated poor people to stray animals. I’m pretty sure he is the same politician that goes to church trolling for votes. Why won’t God let people get struck by a ball of fire like the old days…..I’m Just Saying. Browsing around the Bible and you see the following:


The Book of Exodus speaks of not taking advantage of widows and orphans.

The Book of Deuteronomy speaks of giving to “poor brethren.”

The Book of Zechariah speaks of not oppressing the poor.


So why don’t we treat the poor better? It says we should in the Good Book! As Americans we talk about God all the time. We put “In God We Trust” on our money. We won’t elect a national leader without them declaring love for Jesus the Christ. We even pray after winning Football games (but never when we lose). So what’s the problem?


Is it because we are preoccupied with being rich? People in America want to be either rich or famous. Look at the national obsession with playing the lottery or the attempts to get on American Idol. But there is a reason for this. Watch the news every night. How are the poor portrayed? From the Appalachian Mountains, Sub-Saharan Africa, Elkhart Indiana or Downtown Los Angeles poor people are in bad shape. Americans look at the news every night and have come to the realization: being poor sucks!! From the services that are provided to them to the type of housing they are able to afford. But if you think watching them would make us realize the needs of the poor – think again!!


You evildoers frustrate the plans of the poor but the lord is their refuge – Psalm 14:6


Real Christians would want everyone to have Healthcare, Affordable Food, Quality Education, and Clean Drinking Water. Real Christians view their fellow citizens as equals - instead of looking down on them. Somehow America lost its compassion for the little guy. If we, “America,” want to live up to our reputation, we need to practice what we preach. But that is only if we even know how.

NBC went from eating crow to fried chicken.

After the debacle that was the Jay Leno Show, you would think NBC would keep a low profile. But with black history month, some folks don’t know how to act. They get all excited and want to do extra thangs!! NBC Chef Leslie Calhoun has been trying to get special entrees on the menu for Black History Month. NBC finally relented and gave her every Thursday during the month of February (why do we only get one day a week during the shortest month). Questlove, drummer for The Roots (the greatest rap band in the world and house band for Late Night with Jimmy Fallon), tweeted a picture of a Black History Month menu with the comment: “Hmm HR?” Well if you know anything about race in America you know what happened next.


1. NBC apologized.
2. They took the menu down.
3. Al Roker gave the weather report (chance of snow in the Northeast).
4. And the Chef didn’t apologize……….what??? Now that’s new.


Oh, Calhoun…um……er…..she’s a Sista?? I guess you can’t apologize when you eat the same food. In interviews after the incident she said she didn’t understand why people would be offended. She said “Questlove, who I serve every day and who enjoys my food, requested the neck bone [cooked in] the black-eyed peas and fried chicken, then got off the line, saying, this is racist.” Well I’m confused??? I didn’t even see neck bones on the menu. Let me find out NBC is serving the Number #7 itis inducing food in all of Black America.


In reality, this probably started off as a joke that got out of hand. Questlove aka Questo took the photo not knowing it was going to turn into a lesson in tolerance. My suggestion to him is to be careful about that in the future. NBC doesn’t have a lot of black folk on the network like they did in the 80’s and early 90’s. It’s a recession and we need every black man working. And I’m not really mad at Calhoun for attempting to do something in honor of black history. But why can’t NBC have fried chicken, black eyed peas, greens and smoked turkey any other month? Why does “Soul Food” have to be assigned to February?


I live in North Carolina and I know the real deal on who eats Chicken. White folks will be at Bojangles early in the morning until late at night. They eat chicken like it’s going out of style. Especially those older white folks - they love that chicken. Chicken sandwiches, biscuits, buckets, fried, baked, smothered, rotisserie….they can’t get enough of it. Now I don’t know how those northern whites respond to chicken. They don’t even have real sweet tea (if I go to your restaurant I shouldn’t have to put sugar in my tea, it should already be in there) up north so you be the judge. The funny thing about living down south is that you will always run into someone that has either killed a chicken or watched one being killed. Sometimes I feel inadequate because my chicken already arrives dead…..but I digress.


In the future, I hope that NBC will add Black History items to their regular rotation. They don’t have to wait to have other “Ethnic Foods” on special occasions. Matter of fact they should have Couscous in June, Sushi in November, Haggis in April, Wienerschnitzel in December, Empanada’s stuffed with chorizo in August. Just like Black History should be every month and not only in February. That way when people see Chitlins on the menu in July they won’t yell RACISM!!! And the sista doesn’t have to wait until February to show you how to season food.

Afrodisiac visits Heroes Aren't Hard To Find

Black Hollywood, after all that you have done. Why aren't you on the cover?

Here we go again!! It’s Black History Month 2010 and black folks are still complaining about being snubbed in major print magazines. Apparently Vanity Fair has decided to do an “All White” Actress cover for their March “Hollywood” issue.

Citizen Ojo’s clarification: That means no sistas that act in Hollywood are on the cover.

Once again we are crying foul because we were left out of the “Big Game.” I don’t believe for a second that they couldn’t find black actresses for this cover. They just didn’t want to. And as a black man, only speaking for myself - “that is alright with me.” I get so tired of black folks belly aching because we are not accepted by the mainstream. Who gives a damn!! We have been conditioned to believe that if we are not loved by Madison Ave, Hollywood, Wall Street and every award show (minus the Country Music Shows) we are nothing. If these mainstream rags don’t want us on the cover, we shouldn’t be upset. Duh! That’s what Ebony, Jet and Essence are supposed to be about. We are so busy trying to be accepted that we don’t realize we have our own platforms. We just need to support them. Black magazines are having a difficult time right now. But what have black folks done as a way to remedy the situation? How many of us have magazines that come to the house that have people on the cover that don’t look like us? I get on Citizen Wifey about a particular magazine that comes to the house that had Beyonce on the cover last year. One person a year!!! Why support people that don’t support you?

And before you label me as some black separatist, pump your breaks. If you like the way the magazines look at your house then disregard everything I have said. But if you are tired of being dissed on the cover of your favorite magazine – stop supporting it!! I know Essence has been coming up short as of late. It seems as if Kittie, from “Let’s Talk About Pep,” has been writing the articles as of late. These days after reading Essence you need to wipe down with a towel. And we all know about Ebony and their financial problems. Someone should have hip them to the online game way back. If you are just selling magazines without an online companion……#Fail. Black magazines need to step their game up. Their content now has to speak to the 21st century black person. But we have the power to make these magazines relevant again!!! We need to give them the same prestige we give to the mainstream magazines. That means black Hollywood needs to give black magazines access i.e. the 1st interviews and 1st exclusives. That also means that “we” the readers need to buy and support these magazines. And if we don't like their content, we tell them. Let’s do something different this Black History Month. Let’s actually tackle a problem and fix it. I know it sounds radical but it really isn’t. Just like the mainstream magazines are about business i.e. putting people in their magazines that readers recognize in order to sale products. We need to be about business too.

Guest Post: THE INTERNET HAS RUINED BLACK HISTORY.

To kick off Black History Month I’ve invited a special guest to The Desultory Life and Times. He is one of the most entertaining bloggers in the game. He also was a 2009 nominee in the category of Best Political/News Blog for the BLACK WEBLOG AWARDS. When he is not fighting the power he is blogging over @ The Intersection of Madness and Reality. Ladies and Gentlemen without further ado - Rippa.

The cool thing to me about black history is the pictures. Everywhere you go you'll find pictures of black people at their most majestic. Black history month photos are always so serious. The black person never looks into the camera. They're always looking off to the side with this look of pain and struggle in their face. Don't get me wrong, they're very inspiring photos but I'm kind of tired of the same photos every February. You're telling me out of all the photos you have of Malcolm X the only ones you can find are when he's pissed and ready to punch people in the face?


That's why I love Barak Obama. You can find serious pics of Obama if you dig deep enough on the Internet but you'll find an equal amount of happy pics. I'm sure that If I dig deep enough on the Internet I could find a pic of Barak Obama at someone's family reunion playing spades and drinking a 40oz and eating pork rhines. One could argue that the times are different and that Obama has a lot more to smile about than his predecessors but either way it's great to see pictures of a man who's out to change the world without looking like he's carrying the weight of it on his shoulders.

But for every picture we see of black people at their best…somewhere on the Internet is a pic of black people at their worst. It's unfortunate but these pics exists, trust me. I've seen plenty of them during my time spent online. They sad part is that so many of these pictures involve black women.

Have you seen how black women of the civil rights movement are portrayed? Emotional pillars upon which their men could rely for support during the struggle. Women not afraid to step up when history came-a-knocking. You see pictures of great black women like that and it makes you not want to let them down. It makes you want to continue what it was they started. It makes you realize that the black woman is beautiful and not meant to be demeaned or disrespected.


And then you come across this....

To the naked eye this seems like a harmless pic of some chick from Myspace taking a picture of herself right?

Look again.

Look closer.


Did you look in the toilet?

Now I've written blogs before about how people on the internet take pictures of themselves and their house is all junky in the background. This pic takes that to another level. You might think that I'm a hater because she's cute, but I'm sorry, people like this should be exposed. Here's the truly troubling part of this picture…there's no toilet tissue in the bowl. What picture is so important that you can't wipe your stankin ass before taking the pic?


This chick jumped up off the toilet to take this pic. I guess the dude wanted to see her that bad. Maybe it's a pic from a turd fetish website, who knows. It kinda makes you wonder about all these chicks with sexy pics online. I can't help it, but from now everytime I see a sexy pic of a lady online, I'll have to wonder if she wiped her ass. This pic is so hilarious I'm tempted to start a fake MySpace profile with this girl's pic just to see how many men would be willing to holla at Sheila McShitstain. After all, she is a black history month legend right?

THIS WOMAN COULD BE ON A STAMP IN THE FUTURE

SIDENOTE: The Black woman is a strong woman that dont need no man to do shit for her and even during the Civil Rights movements black women stood alone and led the fight for justice whithout the help of a man and if they were present then they walked side by side with their male counterparts. Black women in the civil rights movement could pay their own bills, buy their own house and drive their own car and they don't need no sorry ass man who uses Jim Crow laws, German Shepard bites, and fire hoses as an excuse to not bring home some money. For me to suggest that black women were only present in the civil rights movement when black men need a back rub or a warm pot of gumbo is wrong and chauvenistic. How dare I suggest that they were no different than the independent Black woman of today.

P.S. - If any of you are offended or pissed because of this post its because you've failed to see the sincerity in my sarcasm. Please go home sip on a warm cup of bleach...with a lemon.