Happy Black Folks Month!

It's that time of year again, the time when people acknowledge the accomplishments of black people then promptly forget when March 1st comes around.

Okay, yeah, that was a little harsh. I've always been of two minds about Black History Month. On one hand, it's the best way to discover little known facts about black folks in the historical context of America. On the other hand, I resent that we have to have a month in which to highlight black people. In my rose-colored-glasses world, the accomplishments of all people would be covered in our schools, history books, and media. But we know that's not the case.

Which means it could and should fall to writers to show just how rich the tapestry of American history is. I personally would love to see more Black historicals.

Unfortunately, when people think of black folks and American History, their minds immediately go to two eras: slavery and the civil rights movement. It's quite easy to ignore that there were free blacks roaming the country. According to BlackPast.org, free blacks came over with Columbus during his second trip to the New World in 1494. In 1526, slaves who'd been brought to work in the Spanish colony of San Miguel de Guadape in Georgia escaped to live among the native Americans. Then there is the rich and proud history of the Black Seminoles.

One great resource was recently published, and I think would be an excellent investment for schools, libraries, and black writers. It's called the African American National Biography, and it profiles some 4000 well- and little-known black folks in American history.

One such figure was profiled in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's coverage of the AANB:


Stagecoach Mary Fields

Photo courtesy of AP Photo/Ursuline Convent, Toledo, Ohio

Stagecoach Mary Fields was a gun-toting, hard drinking, cigar smoking frontierswoman who gambled, brawled and reputedly even killed a man. Well into her 60s, she dependably steered her coach through some of Montana's harshest weather to deliver the mail.

She was also a beloved housekeeper at a convent, tended her own vegetable garden and late in life presented bouquets to men who hit home runs during baseball games in Cascade, Mont.

How could you not want to write a story about this woman?

The African American National Biography is a joint effort of Havard University and Oxford University Press, and is edited by Henry Louis Gates, Hr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, both of Havard. The eight volume set covers the lvies of some 4100 well-known and obscure people. You can order it through the Oxford University Press website for $795. I think it's worth part of an advance, and for writers it's tax-deductible. There is an online version forthcoming, and they are soliciting donations to make the collection available for libraries.

Essence to Honor Writers, Help Libraries

From Publisher's Weekly:

Essence Magazine will honor African-American writers and help public libraries by launching two overlapping initiatives this winter: the Essence Literary Awards and the Save Our Libraries campaign.

The nominees for the awards--in fiction, nonfiction, children's, poetry, commentary/public affairs, memoir and photography--will be selected by the editors of Essence and will be announced on December 19th. The winners will receive their awards during Black History Month, on Feb. 7, 2008, at a ceremony in New York city that will also kick off the Save Our Libraries campaign. Emcees Hoda Kotb of the Today Show and Dr. Ian Smith will preside over the event, which will honor the winning writers, as well as a "Storyteller of the Year."

Terry McMillan will receive a Lifetime Achievement Award for her contributions to contemporary African-American literature. McMillan, who is writing her eighth novel, Getting to Happy, added, “There are so few venues for African-American writers to get attention. This is a positive way to draw attention to African-American writers whose work is of high standards and merits attention.”

“We love books,” Bass said, describing editors at the magazine as committed to coverage of African-American authors and their work since Essence launched in 1970. Essence currently dedicates at least 3-1/2 pages to authors and books each month, second among women’s fashion/beauty/ lifestyle magazines only to O: the Oprah magazine.

You can still vote. Go to http://www.essence.com/essence/literaryawards/ and pick your choice, or nominate one.

NBC Talks About Black Women

"NBC News With Brian Williams" will air a five-part series on African-American Women and Where They Stand. Each night will cover a particular topic including education, health, and gender disparity among other things.

Mara Schiavocampo, Digital Correspondent for "Nightly News," will address two hot topics in the African - American community: interracial dating and the impact of hip hop music on black women (For those of you who attended NABJ this year, Ms. Schiavocampo won the Emerging Journalist of the Year Award). Interracial dating is a growing trend in the African - American community. An Essence.com poll found that 81% of participants approved of black women dating non- black men. According to a U.S. Census Bureau report in 2000, 95,000 black women were married to white men. In 2005, that number increased to 134,000. Schiavocampo will talk to experts about the trend and discuss how this defines the "Black family" of the future.

Schiavocampo will convene a panel of leading black men and women from the hip-hop industry for an engaging discussion on whether hip hop lyrics and videos positively or negatively affect black women. The roundtable also will address how these portrayals are affecting relationships between black women and black men.

I guess since Schiavocampo is a Digital Correspondent, her segments will only be available online instead of on TV. Hey, I guess we should be glad these things are being discussed at all.

Thanksgiving Thank-you's for Military

One of my local radio stations, Q-100, is trying to gather more than 375,000 thank-you letters to be delivered to overseas military personnel during Thanksgiving. In an effort to hit the target (no pun intended) the mission has been expanded beyond Atlanta. Here's the details:

Each letter should be heartfelt, handwritten, original, and free of any political statements. The purpose of the letter is to express thanks to the military personnel serving the United States. We reserve the right to eliminate those messages that are political in nature and that do not reflect a positive message in the spirit of Thanksgiving. Those letters will be destroyed.

All letters must be on 8.5 X 11 paper or smaller. Do not use glue, tape, staples, cardboard, glitter or otherwise attach anything to the paper. Decorate using crayons, pencil, etc. Use both side if you like, but use one page per letter only. Do not send cards or photographs. Feel free to include your mailing and email address, if you like and you may get a response. Individual letters should not be sealed in envelopes.

Do not send anything except letters. We cannot accept donations of any kind, and they should not be included or attached to letters..

You can mail your letters (individually or in bundles of 50) to:

The Bert Show's Big Thank You
3070 Windward Plaza, Suite F 350
Alpharetta, GA 30005

If you're in Atlanta, you can drop off letters to any Taco Mac location.

Again for more information, check out Q-100's website here: http://www.allthehitsq100.com/bertshow/BigThankYou/index.asp

Say What?!

After my signing yesterday, I decided to take my sister, niece, and a friend to see "Why Did I Get Married?!". I won't name the theater except to say that it was close to where I signed. I wanted to see it opening weekend because I think it's important for Hollywood to know that people will go to see good (black) films that aren't about gangsters or aliens or cops. It was packed, which was nice.

However, before the movie started, an employee came in and did the spiel about cell phones, cameras, talking and babies. Is this a new thing? I don't recall getting the speech before Transformers. At first, I thought it was good, a nice reinforcement of the reel that plays later. Then I realized what movie I was seeing and what the majority makeup of the audience was, and I got steamed.

I mean, if I go to see "Elizabeth: the Golden Age", or "We Own the Night" or "Michael Clayton" at this particular theater, will a theater employee come in and give the same speech? Somehow I doubt it.

It felt a little like the salesclerk in the movie telling these four professional women in fur coats that cash isn't kept in the store.

And yes, I will be writing a letter to the theater company. I'm past the point of just "taking it" when I'm spending my money. Because silence may be golden, but black people know the power of green, and I won't be going to that theater again.

Glamour Hair...Not

By now, you may have heard about the fallout from comments made a Glamour staffer during a presentation on dos and dont's of corporate fashion at the law firm of Cleary Gottlieb. In case you missed them, here are a few of the gems as noted by Vivia Chen The American Lawyer onAugust 27, 2007:

First slide up: an African-American woman sporting an Afro. A real no-no, announced the Glamour editor to the 40 or so lawyers in the room. As for dreadlocks: How truly dreadful! The style maven said it was “shocking” that some people still think it “appropriate” to wear those hairstyles at the office. “No offense,” she sniffed, but those “political” hairstyles really have to go.

Some people may think this is racist, but really the staffer was stupidly clueless more than anything. Really, what's political about dreadlocks and braids? Maybe she should try living in Atlanta during the summer with black folks' hair and see how long she lasts! But then, we're talking Glamour magazine. I haven't used the magazine as a resource for my fashion, makeup, skin, and hair care in...ever. Besides the general dearth of articles relating to black hair and skin care, there's nothing for plus size women or women not willing to spend a third of their paycheck on a skirt. Even the recent issue of the magazine that a friend left at my house, the issue with Queen Latifah on the cover with Mariska Hargitay and Claire Danes, had a stunning lack of articles helpful to women like me.

And I sure as hell ain't giving money to a magazine that spends 200 pages telling me how my hair, clothes, weight, skin, hobbies, and sex life all suck.

But never fear, Glamour is doing damage control. From Angela, a black romance reader, comes this letter from the Editor of Glamour:

Hello,

I read your post about a Glamour editor’s comments on hairstyles for work, and I’d like to share with you our thoughts. First, we regret the comments were made. The employee, a junior staffer, not a beauty editor, spoke to a small group of lawyers at a private luncheon without her supervisor’s knowledge or approval, and her comment — that Afros are not work appropriate — does not represent Glamour’s point of view.

Secondly, immediately upon learning of it, we sought to rectify the situation. The editor has been dealt with in a very serious manner, and the entire staff has been reminded of the magazine’s policies and procedures for making public appearances.

Glamour is proud of its diverse readership and celebrates the beauty of ALL women. We have responded directly and openly with readers to assure them of this fact. We have also apologized to the law firm, and we extend the same apology to you.

If you know others who were offended by this incident, To ask you to please pass along this letter. So they, too, know how sorry we are.

Sincerely,
Cindi Leive
Editor-in-Chief, Glamour

Wanna bet they do a whole series of articles and beauty advice for black women? More than likely it'll appear in the February issue. You know, during Black History Month.

Comment for the Cure

Alison Kent - Blah Blog

Author Allison Kent is running a contest in conjunction with Phaze's new anthology Coming Together: For the Cure. Edited by Alessia Brio, the net proceeds of this anthology of erotic fiction will benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation.

In honor of my bestest friend and her recent battle, here’s what I’m going to do. I’m going to buy copies of this anthology and give them away as prizes here. I will buy one copy for every ten comments. So, yes, if there are 100 comments, I’ll buy 10 copies. And I’ll give them away randomly to people who drop in and help raise funds. I will limit the copies to 25 (250 comments/$175) if we go that high, so let’s do it!

Author Jessica Russell is picked up the challenge. She'll buy a copy of the anthology for every ten comments she receives, up to 100 comments. Go forth and comment!

You can also participate in one of several Breast Cancer 3 Day Walk events around the country.

Interracial Marriages Surge Across the U.S.

Click here to read the full article.

On June 12, 1967, the Supreme Court made a landmark ruling in the case of Loving v. Virginia. In their decision, the highest court in the land struck down a Virginia ruling that criminalized the union of Richard Loving, white, and his wife Mildred, black.

(Hope no one thinks these were activist judges)

Since that ruling, which also toppled laws in some 15 other states, IR marriages have climbed: marriages between blacks and whites have increased from 65,000 in 1970 to 422,000 in 2005, according to Census Bureau figures.

Unfortunately, it is still more acceptable for black male-white female pairings than white male-black female. The article states:

"In some categories of interracial marriage, there are distinct gender-related trends. More than twice as many black men marry white women as vice versa, and about three-fourths of white-Asian marriages involve white men and Asian women."

Really, why is it okay for the male to go outside of his race, but not the female? Someone needs to do a paper on that.

As a writer of interracial and multicultural romances, I've always tried to show that, despite apparent differences, there are common things that unite us: the quest for love, acceptance, and family. Whether you find that with someone who looks like you, has the same parts you do, or just accepts you as you, my wish is that you do find that.

The article concludes:

"Malignant racial biases can and do reside in interracial liaisons," [Harvard law professor Randall] Kennedy wrote. "But against the tragic backdrop of American history, the flowering of multiracial intimacy is a profoundly moving and encouraging development."

I don't think I can add anymore to that. Peace and blessings.