tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6109372828362325072024-03-05T18:25:05.331-08:00HOME OF THE URBAN CHAMELEONFor those who might enjoy a two pump soy chai latte to digest the bangin' curry goat with rice and peas they just ate.Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447009806473021323noreply@blogger.comBlogger385125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-32003395605136050442014-12-12T09:28:00.003-08:002014-12-12T09:31:14.119-08:00Bill Cosby: An example of how "Rape" works within a patriarchal societyBy today's Urban Chameleon contributor<br />
Christa Bell <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFx-JgWUaEvSIOkPjzyFtFTG3-r1BQ2KswE5WF-YSjcaBpRb9wc5DFqSaO5BAm75FdZfXJgXbMCOrBslCmLmNDQF7okyiY_Uz2nY3-q2GeQffVjzIGgjg6SSVlIsT3eRixilluLTjQ84/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-12-12+at+12.24.35+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdFx-JgWUaEvSIOkPjzyFtFTG3-r1BQ2KswE5WF-YSjcaBpRb9wc5DFqSaO5BAm75FdZfXJgXbMCOrBslCmLmNDQF7okyiY_Uz2nY3-q2GeQffVjzIGgjg6SSVlIsT3eRixilluLTjQ84/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-12-12+at+12.24.35+PM.png" height="400" width="326" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"> In many ways, focusing on serial rapist, <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/billcosby?source=feed_text&story_id=10152861541074898"><span class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">BillCosby</span></a>,
is a way to direct rage and shame at an entire set of systems that
compose the massive and unwieldy phenomena that are patriarchy and rape
culture. It's easier to focus on him than on the rape and torture of
prisoners by, for example, the CIA. Cosby makes identifying the way
rape culture works within patriarchy, manageable, almost breezy. He
also makes it easy to identify those who have completely internalized
rape cul<span class="text_exposed_show">ture ethics. If anything could
be said to be redeeming about Cosby's decades as a serial rapist, it
would be that his heinous crimes against women force us to approach rape
from multiple and intersecting perspectives. It allows us to confront
the kind of eucharistic brainwashing, that we are all impacted by, that
allows patriarchy to operate so efficiently. By eucharistic, I mean
that spiritual ritual of double think that allows us to believe that
what is false, is actually real. As in the ritual of communion when
adherents accept that the bread and wine being imbibed are the actual
body and blood of christ. In the case of the ritual of defending Cosby,
his disciples have substituted his TV persona, his filling in for and
as their absent fathers, his representation of black masculine purity,
as the truth of who he is. But he is not. He is black, he is an
exceptional entertainer, and he is wealthy. He is also a scum who has
spent decades sexually exploiting women in one of the most vile ways
imaginable. You will have to find a way to reconcile those truths with
his persona. Reconcile the wine and bread with the blood and flesh.
This is also the work of <a class="_58cn" data-ft="{"tn":"*N","type":104}" href="https://www.facebook.com/hashtag/ferguson?source=feed_text&story_id=10152861541074898"><span class="_58cl">#</span><span class="_58cm">Ferguson</span></a>. Upending and calling out all systems of oppression.</span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span class="text_exposed_show">Follow Christa Bell at<span class="_5yl5" data-reactid=".49.$mid=11418343158512=255d43f3ed435bbd675.2:0.0.0.0.0"><span data-reactid=".49.$mid=11418343158512=255d43f3ed435bbd675.2:0.0.0.0.0.0"> <a data-reactid=".49.$mid=11418343158512=255d43f3ed435bbd675.2:0.0.0.0.0.0.$range0:0" href="http://www.realcoloredgirls.wordpress.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.realcoloredgirls.wordpress.com</a></span></span></span></span><br />
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-14594866424735812212014-04-04T13:38:00.002-07:002014-04-04T13:38:49.353-07:00Can We Get Further in Life With a Perm vs. Natural Hair?
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Mangal;
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:1;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:8192 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Mangal;
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:1;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:8192 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:SimSun;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:none;
mso-hyphenate:none;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-fareast-font-family:SimSun;
mso-bidi-font-family:Mangal;
mso-font-kerning:.5pt;
mso-fareast-language:HI;
mso-bidi-language:HI;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-size:10.0pt;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
mso-bidi-font-size:10.0pt;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
By today's Urban Chameleon contributor</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Brooke Lugo Smith </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZQI7wbTyYwZ5RMTzmDKZg1I9OFpFyhP8SHVxZ96HuIJqfesQlwCNtd_mR8599nhfPFr36fLbgv_2aQ4mUvjp2fcgo1tTcTBHNLLAUpa70D3eU6zn47QUryfZdenGKSoD-dWYpl19ecQ/s1600/Brooke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyZQI7wbTyYwZ5RMTzmDKZg1I9OFpFyhP8SHVxZ96HuIJqfesQlwCNtd_mR8599nhfPFr36fLbgv_2aQ4mUvjp2fcgo1tTcTBHNLLAUpa70D3eU6zn47QUryfZdenGKSoD-dWYpl19ecQ/s1600/Brooke.jpg" height="320" width="212" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i>"It took a
lot of self discovery and rebuilding for me to even train my own eye to love
myself the way I am."</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I was born with a full head of black, vibrant
curls. Today, I would say this was a great thing but at the time being born in the 80's when mixed
kids weren't trending, I developed a distorted perception of
myself. In grade school, while other
little girls' moms were taming their natural hair with relaxers, my mom refused, and therefore I was limited to pony tails and buns because I was too uncomfortable to wear my "wild" hair any other way. Growing up I never saw any images of
women with hair like mine, not on TV, in videos and surely not in my
classrooms. I have memories of little girls picking at my hair with looks of
disgust saying, </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
“Why don't you get a perm?” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What was this “perm” they spoke of?
Soon I realized it was the reason every Black girl I knew had straight silky
hair. So I did what any other thirteen-year-old would've done in my shoes. I BEGGED
my mother to relax my hair. I cried when she denied me. It was hard to be a plus size girl <i>and</i> have wild hair. Both of these traits made me unpopular.</div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqc8O1j37DcTmMRle2yeunlqltaqwSrTz69NJiimsC6QpHmc5_eSayQKo9xKScmmo5R7Q_qn2fFCLQ-PjfWWtPvlPVDcGyeQlDBXwAYL4WiPPHjFR2r4uvwVZ8pBvvSXAytuTbRu7-QQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-04+at+12.41.45+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSqc8O1j37DcTmMRle2yeunlqltaqwSrTz69NJiimsC6QpHmc5_eSayQKo9xKScmmo5R7Q_qn2fFCLQ-PjfWWtPvlPVDcGyeQlDBXwAYL4WiPPHjFR2r4uvwVZ8pBvvSXAytuTbRu7-QQ/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-04-04+at+12.41.45+PM.png" height="282" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It wasn't until graduation that my mom finally allowed me to get a perm. Now I had hair that every
girl envied. It was extra long
and thick, a mane of black hair that almost reached my butt. It was amazing to see how people who never spoke or acknowledged all of a sudden want to crowd around me just to see
if my hair was real and ask to touch it. Everyday people stared in amazement. I was a hair goddess. Because of this new found attention I became
addicted to the creamy crack (relaxer). At the first sight of my
natural hair growing out at the roots I'd run to the store and touch it up
before anyone could see. This habit continued all the way through my mid 20s. I was not prepared for the amount of work it took to maintain this look. I now had to flat
iron my roots, curl my ends with a curling iron every day and use tons of heavy
greasy products to keep it from frizzing; anything to stop my hair from going back to "wild." Slowly but surely my long mane that
had once reached all the way down my back wouldn't grow past my collar bone.
One day as I looked in the mirror, I couldn't help but look at my damaged
hair with split ends and say, “What did you do to yourself?!” </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
In 2005, I started growing my natural hair again. In addition, I decided to do a spiritual makeover. I needed to redefine my definition of beauty from within. No,
I didn't do the “big chop” where some women cut off all of their hair completely
and start from scratch. However, I went through what is known as the “in between” stage, where you allow your
roots to grow out, looking puffy and crazy and slowly cut away your ends until the relaxer is completely gone. The transition was very awkward. Even though I was finding this new
wave of confidence in the "natural" me, men, didn't seem to take a liking to the
new look. I could go out with straight hair and have several suitors, and where the same outfit with my curls and only receive a handful of hellos. It took a
lot of self discovery and rebuilding for me to even train my own eye to love
my natural self. And I mean LOVE not just settle or be content. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56Ys8bbtj3AsILz53BBz72DWKyF7Qefh10zuvUwdSWtCJtsMKL3v4GmGG-U3G3bWhS9YkFnakjoenbDcSvjxy-YIUBPLD50pPPQpcHcaJIcU6ZbHGZUpZ4m8lw44TZs3pj0jreUofoPM/s1600/Curly+Brooke.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg56Ys8bbtj3AsILz53BBz72DWKyF7Qefh10zuvUwdSWtCJtsMKL3v4GmGG-U3G3bWhS9YkFnakjoenbDcSvjxy-YIUBPLD50pPPQpcHcaJIcU6ZbHGZUpZ4m8lw44TZs3pj0jreUofoPM/s1600/Curly+Brooke.jpg" height="320" width="320" /></a>Even though society is slowly beginning to embrace the natural look many of us have a long way to go with self acceptance. I know I have come a
long way but I still haven't arrived. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Let's talk corporate America. When I have
meetings, specifically an interview, I still hesitate on whether to wear my hair natural, in fear of coming across unprofessional. We are all a work in progress. I try and hold on to
the principle that I am fearfully and wonderfully made! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Be confident and be
you. Honestly anyone who doesn't accept that is doing you a favor by weeding
themselves out of your life! Being myself has even allowed me to find a spouse that loves me with no filter. Shoot, the day I met him, I was sporting a curly side ponytail, a Thunder Cats hoodie, jeans and Converse sneakers. He later told me, his dream girl was a women with natural black
curls... go figure. Funny thing is my husband suffers from low hair esteem
himself. He's been trying out this fro/hawk style but gets uncomfortable when his hair grows in thinking it looks too nappy. I even had to explain to him that the hair that grows out of our scalp is not bad even though we've been taught otherwise. I
believe we simply haven't been given the option to love our natural hair.
Growing up, there were no tutorials on maintenance, no products and no support.
Luckily, today we have platforms like Urban Chameleon to shed some light on why
we do what we do including the need to chameleon. I'm excited
to teach my unborn baby how to rock their hair, curls or not. With the right
products and styling (the key to any great hair style) we all can
shine! In the words of one of my favorite movies, Just let your soooooooooouuuuul glow! </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span class="null">Brooke is a Gospel Pop Artist and the Star of Oxygen's hit reality show, <i>My Big Fat Revenge</i>. She is also the vocalist behind several commercials including Old Navy and Kia
Motors. Follow her at <span class="null"><a class="_553k" href="http://www.brookelugosmith.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.BrookeLugoSmith.com</a></span> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles.tv@gmail.com</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />Find out <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html" target="_blank">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a></div>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-80862509485298437752014-02-06T14:00:00.003-08:002014-02-06T14:00:47.811-08:00Funnel Cake Flowers & The Urban Chameleons comes to Spelman College!<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">In the vein of </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><i>Saturday Night Live </i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">meets </span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><i>The Chappelle Show</i></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"> , Emmy nominated writer, producer, performer HaJ brings her new interactive, multimedia stage show to Spelman College</span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><b><i>. FUNNEL CAKE FLOWERS & THE URBAN CHAMELEONS</i></b></span><span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"> is
a comedic, social commentary on how people of color in America have to
chameleon between white corporate America and their kinky hair-handling,
curry spice eating, hip gyrating America in order to survive. It's
complicated! </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Tickets are FREE!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">General admission </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Location</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Spelman College</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">John D. Rockefeller Fine Arts Building</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Atlanta, GA 30314</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Show Times </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span><span>Thurs. Feb 20 at 8PM</span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Fri. 21st at 8PM</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Saturday 22nd at <span><span>8PM</span></span> </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;">Sun 23rd at <span><span>3PM</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: small;"><span><span><span style="font-size: x-small;">For more information e-mail tickles.tv@gmail.com </span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhg4wOOh0EXPct4-Qvz2QJKEJXBRb4R-6p6wTTQFMRFM2USbBzYrI-taVNT01BnZixW1A-j7XlBeyv7APYUTnZ8dpk7VoBHijfBG6Ow8B_-X9DflEon0qNdJ6vkgL-i3rgOhgYfFr_nbM/s1600/Save+Date+for+FB-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhg4wOOh0EXPct4-Qvz2QJKEJXBRb4R-6p6wTTQFMRFM2USbBzYrI-taVNT01BnZixW1A-j7XlBeyv7APYUTnZ8dpk7VoBHijfBG6Ow8B_-X9DflEon0qNdJ6vkgL-i3rgOhgYfFr_nbM/s1600/Save+Date+for+FB-1.jpg" height="400" width="400" /></a></div>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-88692953227905793522013-11-19T12:11:00.000-08:002013-11-20T08:09:27.700-08:00USA Today calls THE BEST MAN HOLIDAY “Race-Themed Film”<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
mso-themecolor:hyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
</style>
-->
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
By Funnel Cake Flowers, The Urban Chameleon News Reporter<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/YZrttbfTiZM" width="560"></iframe><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
USA today calls Black Man Holiday I mean Best Man Holiday a
Race-Themed film</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Awww snap white people you done messed up again and let me
guess you have no idea why.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Allow me to explain, to translate. You see Black people want
nothing more than to fit into the fabric of society here in the United States of
America. You know the country that was built on the backs of our ancestors but
yet and still we are considered outsiders. I know you keep telling us, “That’s
bullshit! You gotta Black president, what more do you want, everything is
equal. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But it’s really not and USA Today’s comment was evidence of
that. For if we were really considered equal, and Black people in Black films and
non-Black films were common I guarantee you we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
There would be no need to point out that The Black Man Holiday, (excuse me) I
mean <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The</i> <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Best Man Holiday</i> is a “race-themed film.”</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And the thing that really hurts is that I’m sure, NO! certain,
that the Black people involved in Black Man Holiday (excuse me) <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The Best Man Holiday</i> were not striving
to make a Black film…just a film…people…just a film. And you ruined it white
people.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have your Urban Chameleon opinion/story featured by emailing
<a href="mailto:tickles.tv@gmail.com">tickles.tv@gmail.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html" target="_blank">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a></div>
</div>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-57298462831083657882013-11-05T09:46:00.002-08:002013-11-05T09:46:58.774-08:00Why now are "SLAVE FILMS" being produced?<span class="userContent">by today's Urban Chameleon contributor</span><br />
<span class="userContent">Ayoka Chenzira</span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkSED6q2auUG5WUVGERlEBX5c95nV8owrytaQPs52r6KZQ0Qxw4HePZlDZRrSkQ6xM0BUnMgTWYppAg-zqLGD56s8SMoro4QcMpAvRSo8uY_WI4834IseXOlRwGzSuAEoZIkTNU0uWhc/s1600/12-Years-A-Slave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="179" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEkSED6q2auUG5WUVGERlEBX5c95nV8owrytaQPs52r6KZQ0Qxw4HePZlDZRrSkQ6xM0BUnMgTWYppAg-zqLGD56s8SMoro4QcMpAvRSo8uY_WI4834IseXOlRwGzSuAEoZIkTNU0uWhc/s320/12-Years-A-Slave.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span class="userContent">There is a disconnect between
the lived experiences of contemporary Black America and the movies.
One reason is that there simply aren't enough films featuring the lived
experiences of people of color that are greenlit for pro<span class="text_exposed_show">duction. Not that the stories or screenplays aren't there -- they are not being made.<br /> <br />
This period of what is being called "slave films" is discomforting. On
the one hand so many people are unfamiliar with that period in American
history. Common thought also suggests that so many of us think that
slavery was such a long time ago -- so we do need films that show that
part of the county's despicable history.<br /> <br /> That said, in many
ways, the films about slavery are not telling us anything new and in
fact continue to highlight the same premise and archetypes -- that
slavery was terrible not because people were stolen from their
homelands, bought and sold and insured (by still surviving U.S.
insurance companies) but because the white slave owners were sadistic.
Cut to -- let me show you how sadistic. The sadistic (often well to do)
slave owner and his seemingly powerless wife are finally challenged by
the well-meaning white man who will essentially become the turnkey hero
through an act of kindness or bravery. This of course disallows for the
historical evidence of how many slaves survived, rebelled and escaped.
It also closes the door on a deeper visual rhetoric about how slavery
was part of a knotty American fabric -- common -- ubiquitous -- often
without fanfare. It's residue still has death grip on modern day
America. <br /> <br /> You can tell a great deal about a culture through
its art and specifically through its national cinema. Not only by what
is produced but what is absent. Timing is everything -- so the question
does remain -- why now are "slave films" being produced? We often hear
that screenplays by African American filmmakers cannot be found. I have
a science fiction film and am adapting the novels of Pearl Cleage to
the screen, others that I know have dramas, comedies and historical
pieces. What they have in common is a modern day take on African
American lives -- and points of view that we seldom see expressed in
American cinema. The absence of this work on screen is very telling
about American culture.</span></span><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"></span></span></span></span><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHT6XcTvQ2x52s_5lCGTWJVFtSnjTekD1g4FrSDtNnTKBaCbxFVWRnrgsISkr2snyd1-ra5s5ypKy7D8JRafTwiM9a8hEhxf8VhcxEuq6lTlO1_Hvw33hIk45jeIV8EkGAInJmKgg7GVI/s1600/ayo_camera3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiHT6XcTvQ2x52s_5lCGTWJVFtSnjTekD1g4FrSDtNnTKBaCbxFVWRnrgsISkr2snyd1-ra5s5ypKy7D8JRafTwiM9a8hEhxf8VhcxEuq6lTlO1_Hvw33hIk45jeIV8EkGAInJmKgg7GVI/s200/ayo_camera3.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show">Follow Ayoka Chenzira on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/ayomentary" target="_blank">@ayomentary </a></span></span><br />
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></span>
<span class="userContent"><span class="text_exposed_show"><a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html" target="_blank">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be </a></span></span>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-85486832035061012022013-10-23T14:07:00.000-07:002013-10-23T14:07:01.220-07:00Out Here In These Streets
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span>By House of HaJ</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHqdpMxv0MSKU60yt4mvZtEv4pm588GkjpcX9Dj04SOcetwHZS09Gu1pLpZgmfcgchNRw6dWXJtVlt60VrX7QSE19S7HLa-4Y-FecyqYd-nD6SlhTrHlFeRC5sASymO4soCRW3W-6IeI/s1600/high-definition-cityscapes-streets-cars-urban-new-york-city-roads.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQHqdpMxv0MSKU60yt4mvZtEv4pm588GkjpcX9Dj04SOcetwHZS09Gu1pLpZgmfcgchNRw6dWXJtVlt60VrX7QSE19S7HLa-4Y-FecyqYd-nD6SlhTrHlFeRC5sASymO4soCRW3W-6IeI/s400/high-definition-cityscapes-streets-cars-urban-new-york-city-roads.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pardon the grammatical errors- I'm just flowing.<br />
<br />
The phrase "Out Here In These Streets" came to life for me and a good
friend of mine while traveling to South by South West in Austin Texas this past
March 2013. The festival is a stomping ground for entrepreneurs</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--> </style><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US;"></span>, innovators, independent thinkers and creative and technology lovers. People like us just doing our thing...out here in these streets.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Black culture we identify with the term "streets" as a
game, a jungle even at times a matrix; it basically sums up, a very real <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hustle</i>; whether you're a drug dealer or
an entrepreneur.<br />
<br />
Several years ago, separately and at different times, me and my friend decided
to take a leap of faith and dedicate ourselves to building something, being our
own boss, being in control of our time while trying to make this world a better
place.<br />
<br />As sexy as that sounds it's not always. In fact at times I wonder if I picked
the harder hustle, ‘cause selling drugs has got be easier than keepin' it legal.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
There is an illusion to being an "entrepreneur." You actually think
you're in control. But you are not in control. I'm not even sure if god is in
control. This was confirmed for me just the other day while watching for the
first time the movie, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Daddy's Little Girl</i>
starring Idris Elba. Lou Gosset’s character tells Idris' character at a moment
where he’s down and out that's he's going to need the help of “God and two more
white people.” That's real.<br />
<br />Most of the time being an entrepreneur is a pride swallowing, ego-deflating
journey and that's not even the worst part. The worst part is continuing to
actually pursue the damn journey; seeking the word "yes" in a world
of "no. " But you do it anyway.</span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>For an entrepreneur knowing and
understanding this is what it means to be out here in these streets. Are you out here? Get at me.<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by emailing <a href="mailto:tickles.tv@gmail.com">tickles.tv@gmail.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html" target="_blank">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be </a></span></div>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-36279281841402513432013-07-31T08:08:00.000-07:002013-07-31T08:08:54.023-07:00BOOM – Just like that Zimmerman Trades Places With Trayvon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_BTYWHxiIMe2k-QwbADPSl9g4765aTgDfjdPo3t-fEJkiZlEwrPZ46vIrvJukENsKwvPbM0sF0dJ2hqTuYXoaGidYGzdbux6XwssoL9VD4bbRSr-uKuwpipqE_j_WMlDru7gIARdpEE/s1600/Trayvonn.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl_BTYWHxiIMe2k-QwbADPSl9g4765aTgDfjdPo3t-fEJkiZlEwrPZ46vIrvJukENsKwvPbM0sF0dJ2hqTuYXoaGidYGzdbux6XwssoL9VD4bbRSr-uKuwpipqE_j_WMlDru7gIARdpEE/s400/Trayvonn.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Dear George Zimmerman,<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">
<br />
For the rest of your life you are now going to feel what it’s like to be a
black man in America.<br />
<br />
You will feel people stare at you. Judging you for what you think are unfair
reasons. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You will lose out on getting jobs for
something you feel is outside of your control. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">You will believe yourself to be an
upstanding citizen and wonder why people choose to not see that. <br />
<br />
People will cross the street when they see you coming. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">They will call you hurtful names. It
will drive you so insane some days that you'll want to scream at the top of
your lungs. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-family: Cambria; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">But you will have to wake up the next day, put
on firm look and push through life.<br />
<br />
I bet you never thought that by taking the life of a young Black man that you
would end up inheriting his.<br />
<br />
Enjoy your "Freedom."<br />
<br />
Sincerely,<br />
<br />
A Black male who could've been Trayvon </span>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-47912010378106321812013-06-29T19:57:00.000-07:002013-06-29T20:00:23.666-07:00WASHINGTON DC HERE WE COMES!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:128;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:fixed;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Verdana;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 3 5 4 4 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:1;
mso-generic-font-family:roman;
mso-font-format:other;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:0 0 0 0 0 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">Fresh from the Atlanta Fringe Festival, </span><b><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">FUNNEL CAKE FLOWERS & THE URBAN CHAMELEONS</span></i></b><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"> created by Emmy nominated writer</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"> <b>HaJ </b>a</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;">nd directed by Award-winning filmmaker <b>Ayoka Chenzira</b></span><span style="color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-fareast-font-family: "MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-fareast;"> comes to <b>Washington DC!</b> This multimedia, interactive exposé <b>highlights</b>
black-white relations by outing the lives of people of color who, as <b>code-switchers</b>,
choose when to reveal their accents and attitudes <b>in front of white people</b>,
creating a shocking and hysterical <b>Saturday Night Live </b>style mock of the
human condition while “living in color in a white man’s world.” Check out the
promo <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/vimeo\.com\/64270966\0022 \\o \0022here\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><u><span style="color: blue;">here</span></u></span></span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOf72UfGTD3Ad0q7t5KbX5lLYRC9lzSgCeM-IPo4FGz1gGsthxgBUdVbm9hccpcJt7yGF3IHzrPx8nD7qfAtilfhnwyoEu5V67HRXmPRX-XtRGBb4Me_LFXm9UFeIRwV4wg4HSWkP0ek/s662/FCF+DC.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOf72UfGTD3Ad0q7t5KbX5lLYRC9lzSgCeM-IPo4FGz1gGsthxgBUdVbm9hccpcJt7yGF3IHzrPx8nD7qfAtilfhnwyoEu5V67HRXmPRX-XtRGBb4Me_LFXm9UFeIRwV4wg4HSWkP0ek/s640/FCF+DC.png" width="428" /></a></b></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">SHOW
TIMES:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Tuesday July 2nd at 8:00PM</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wednesday July 3rd at 8:00PM</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 18.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Location:</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Katzen Center</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">American University</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">4400 Massachusetts Ave.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Washington, DC 20016</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ticket's are $12 for adults $10 for students and seniors.
Purchase online <span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/american\.tix\.com\/Event\.aspx?EventCode=578529\0022 \\o \0022here\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><u><span style="color: blue;">here</span></u></span> or at the door. If you can't make it <b>TELL
A FRIEND! You won't be sorry</b></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Follow on Twitter</span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> @Ticklestv @UrbanChameleons</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
Become a fan on Facebook! </span></b><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022http\:\/\/tickles\.tv\/\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><u><span style="color: #1155cc;">Tickles.TV</span></u></span> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.facebook\.com\/Tickles\.TV\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><u><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.facebook.com/Tickles.TV</span></u></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br />
<br />
Urban Chameleons <br />
</span><span style="color: blue; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-field-code: " HYPERLINK \0022https\:\/\/www\.facebook\.com\/pages\/Urban-Chameleons\/152761960237?ref=hl\0022 \\t \0022_blank\0022 ";"><u><span style="color: #1155cc;">https://www.facebook.com/pages/Urban-Chameleons/152761960237?ref=hl</span></u></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: Verdana; font-size: 13.5pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"></span></div>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-11637324513761882452013-06-02T19:33:00.000-07:002013-06-02T19:33:15.927-07:00FUNNEL CAKE FLOWERS & THE URBAN CHAMELEONS Premeries at the Atlanta Fringe Festival June 6-9!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BB1LkMPkGta9ols8PZVEsDDWUR0LuURZig80n21sb1W73eZ9eRID-zBXJUmeEkaeu7gfQqIklm7vhvozJBR7h4yiECyeUJ7wSV1SQ3qvtzdN4JQWJm5qlsD8BejILjTNIx_gclX2Jkw/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-06-01+at+8.42.50+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3BB1LkMPkGta9ols8PZVEsDDWUR0LuURZig80n21sb1W73eZ9eRID-zBXJUmeEkaeu7gfQqIklm7vhvozJBR7h4yiECyeUJ7wSV1SQ3qvtzdN4JQWJm5qlsD8BejILjTNIx_gclX2Jkw/s640/Screen+shot+2013-06-01+at+8.42.50+AM.png" width="428" /></a></div>
<br />Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-85550598083446845992013-04-28T18:28:00.000-07:002013-04-28T18:28:07.890-07:00My Caribbean mother doesn't get along with her private school educated grandson<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);"><div class="im">
by today's Urban Chameleon contributor, Anonymous </div>
</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);"> </span></div>
<div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Zk1bSv3UNFiBfbbEsml_4dQ5MHF_cgP89qS-M-m8FFzg7M1lOI8_oOdk8q4sYweJG9KosTlqo1jxbgqtaxuaZZcXMWr7QH2QnEY-h7XE5Pk1tbU2ts_vM9OAMv2WbgWWKnR5lZz2PqM/s1600/GRANDMOTHER--BABY-HANDS-008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0Zk1bSv3UNFiBfbbEsml_4dQ5MHF_cgP89qS-M-m8FFzg7M1lOI8_oOdk8q4sYweJG9KosTlqo1jxbgqtaxuaZZcXMWr7QH2QnEY-h7XE5Pk1tbU2ts_vM9OAMv2WbgWWKnR5lZz2PqM/s320/GRANDMOTHER--BABY-HANDS-008.jpg" width="320" /></a><span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">Six
years ago when I had my son I knew it was my responsibility to provide
him with the best that I could. When he was three someone told me about
progressive education, which peaked my interest. These are
schools that teach critical thinking as oppose to following orders. A
huge difference between how poor children and rich children are
developed. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">Outliers: The Story of Success written by Malcolm Gladwell, explores these and many other </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">dissimilarities. Poor
kids are usually taught to follow authority where rich kids are
encouraged to be inquisitive. They are more likely to go to a doctor and
ask questions that they have a right to know, like why are you putting
that instrument in my ear?</span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);"><br />The school that I ended up enrolling my son in teaches kids
to be thought leaders and citizens of the world. This entails asking
questions and exploring different answers until they make sense. The problem is, this makes for a difficult relationship between my son and his Trinidadian grandmother, (my mother).<br /><br />One weekend I left him with her. She sent me a text telling me to pick him up earlier than we discussed before she wrings his neck. He called to tell me that my mother is very negative. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);"><br /></span></div>
<span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);">My
mother is old school, children don't get to have conversations with
their elders about why they can't do something. The answer is, because I said so, and if you question me again I will beat your ass. That's the thing about being an Urban Chameleon and raising one, it's always about trying to figure out how to navigate the cultural conflicts that nobody prepares you for. </span><span style="background-color: rgba(255,255,255,0);"><div class="im">
<br />Oh well, maybe when he becomes president of a company or nation my Trini grandmother will appreciate his independent mind then;) </div>
<div class="im">
</div>
<div class="im">
Have your Urban Chameleon story and or opinion featured by emailing tickles.tv@gmail.com</div>
</span>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-60052277022674073702013-04-03T16:15:00.002-07:002013-04-03T16:15:17.384-07:00More Black and Brown People at South by South West (SXSW) Please!
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
span.msoIns
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-style-name:"";
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;
color:teal;}
span.msoDel
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-style-name:"";
text-decoration:line-through;
color:red;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
--> </style>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
span.msoIns
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-style-name:"";
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;
color:teal;}
span.msoDel
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-style-name:"";
text-decoration:line-through;
color:red;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
</div>
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Times;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
span.msoIns
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-style-name:"";
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;
color:teal;}
span.msoDel
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-style-name:"";
text-decoration:line-through;
color:red;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"If technology doesn't see race, that's actually a problem." </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span>by HaJ</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopaZVPiHuKpjGPbqL_KdZIeZOK4rmaT3zjaK8ewGmWKF-k0eH2vYO3kA-8MGFbF6MgpsEFBZblivkX4Pu6vmldxXAvxuj2toMySbU5RvhnJjbSQaJnG2dVq00yprJfzoi5Z-w09CjYAQ/s1600/web_bit_logo_whole.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiopaZVPiHuKpjGPbqL_KdZIeZOK4rmaT3zjaK8ewGmWKF-k0eH2vYO3kA-8MGFbF6MgpsEFBZblivkX4Pu6vmldxXAvxuj2toMySbU5RvhnJjbSQaJnG2dVq00yprJfzoi5Z-w09CjYAQ/s1600/web_bit_logo_whole.png" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4xkLJj9a3wWlEN5PQ1chTaKV3zfWLyopobnYTlH115HrOnitpydMspwEUZvsWx9WR2OgRhVe04DmRrJHuxQ0QcF60j9sru9wOXFq_G8RzYeZOjrWvIlV5_qKaayhqGosB-zyH6fHfYY/s1600/IMG_2751.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJ4xkLJj9a3wWlEN5PQ1chTaKV3zfWLyopobnYTlH115HrOnitpydMspwEUZvsWx9WR2OgRhVe04DmRrJHuxQ0QcF60j9sru9wOXFq_G8RzYeZOjrWvIlV5_qKaayhqGosB-zyH6fHfYY/s320/IMG_2751.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Ayo, HaJ, Pamela Jennings, Sabrina Harvey and Nicole Valentine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This past March I was invited to speak
on the </span><span style="font-family: Times;">Blacks in Technology (BiT) panel at South by South West (SXSW)<i>, </i><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:45"></ins></span><span class="msoDel"><del cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:45"></del></span><span style="font-style: normal !msorm;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="mso-prop-change: Ayo 20130401T1345;">Elevate the Game: Maverick Women
Recode the Future</span></i></span>, along with Pamela Jennings, CEO of Noble
Wire, </span><span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Sabrina Harvey, CEO of Art of Genius Tech Education
& Women Interactive, and Nicole Valentine, President of Synergy Business
Development and Ayoka Chenzira, filmmaker and interactive digital media artist
as well as my co-creator and director of <i><a href="http://www.heradventure.com/" target="_blank">HERadventure</a> </i>an
interactive, sci-fi movie. Ayoka and I developed <a href="http://www.heradventure.com/" target="_blank"><i>HERadventure</i></a>, which also debuted at SXSW.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAsgfegymkYJJ6qvNAGvED7Wf3fa2Cv3FoKNKI1SiBEkCBKnOKfHHq6uUoJBe__3XrnSnalmtF0S0AJIb6SqHNB1v9IvMuYpl866r-CYciLjP4BDNmt_Onch6hP9vZi_R9LgO4Dk3Rk8/s1600/IMG_2638.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkAsgfegymkYJJ6qvNAGvED7Wf3fa2Cv3FoKNKI1SiBEkCBKnOKfHHq6uUoJBe__3XrnSnalmtF0S0AJIb6SqHNB1v9IvMuYpl866r-CYciLjP4BDNmt_Onch6hP9vZi_R9LgO4Dk3Rk8/s320/IMG_2638.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Left to right: Denver Louis, Mary Pryor, Nicole Valentine, HaJ, Ayo</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times; mso-bidi-font-family: Arial; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> </span><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On the first day of the festival that
takes place every year in Austin, Texas, we ran into social media guru Michael
Street and urban socialista Mary Pryor at Whole Foods. I guess a gathering of
people of color was unusual here for minutes into our conversation an older
white woman came up to us super excited expressing that she had never seen
anything like “this” before. She admired Mary’s Afri-centric head wrap and
complimented how beautiful everyone was while continue to stare in awe at the
brown people before her. She then returned to finish drinking wine with her
male friend who was about 20ft away. Even after returning to her table she kept
staring at us. This woman’s perspective seemed to be a reflection of our
presence at SXSW. Out of thousands of attendees you could probably count the
number of people of color on one hand and have fingers left over. Ayo and I
were apart of a smaller number of people of color who were presenting a project.
One could argue a number of reasons as to why that was but it certainly isn’t
because people of color aren’t innovative.</span>
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">During out BiT Panel, </span>meaningful
conversations came about as it related<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:45"></ins></span><span class="msoDel"><del cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:45"></del></span> to the importance
of women and people of color advancing in the field of technology, specifically
gaming and coding. <span class="msoDel"><del cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:47"></del></span>However if the funding <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:47"></ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:49"></ins></span>and information is only being distributed to largely one
group of people then the experiences developed from new technologies will not
reflect diversity of ideas and perspectives. Remember the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KP5eBTQicWE" target="_blank">YouTube video of the Black guy pointing out that the HP face recognition technology didn’t seem to recognize his blackness?</a><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/KP5eBTQicWE" width="300"></iframe> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is
why initiatives like Black Girls Code founded by Kimberly Bryant are so
crucial.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSABBQFKZJY-tQxtPYk6oB39kQwZI8rK6DHO0Iu4zPXAmAPES3x8Tn5ud6NWEN8aFXfhsNQsNPjeNRnhQNYmoWHRNJkExme17o-rL9wKvz-RL16ZvM-umfQO3QVry5FBwjF6IRfUVBy8/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-03+at+4.28.50+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="107" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNSABBQFKZJY-tQxtPYk6oB39kQwZI8rK6DHO0Iu4zPXAmAPES3x8Tn5ud6NWEN8aFXfhsNQsNPjeNRnhQNYmoWHRNJkExme17o-rL9wKvz-RL16ZvM-umfQO3QVry5FBwjF6IRfUVBy8/s320/Screen+shot+2013-04-03+at+4.28.50+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
BiT has taken a tremendous step in the right direction with
creating panels and programming to provide information from people of color in
technology and entertainment that's innovative at SXSW. We can only hope that initiatives alike
will continue to be embraced, supported and expand into an integrated
experience for everyone (including white people).</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
A friend of mine said to me that the Internet does not see
race, it just calculates information according to zeroes and ones. I would
argue that NOT seeing race is a problem. Or, being so in shock like the woman
at Whole Foods because you’re not used to seeing a group of people of a
different race is <span class="msoDel"><del cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:48"></del></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:48"></ins></span><span class="msoDel"><del cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:48"></del></span>a
problem.<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:56"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></ins></span><span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:59"></ins></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Being a part of a woman and gaming panel and presenting <i><a href="http://www.heradventure.com/" target="_blank">HERadventure</a> </i>our <span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T13:52"></ins></span>interactive,
sci-fi movie starring a reluctant, female, alien, superhero who also happens to
be a woman of color <span class="msoDel"><del cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T14:02"></del></span>allowed us to continue pushing
(or rather opening up) the envelope <span class="msoIns"></span><span class="msoIns"></span>to empower those w<span class="msoIns"><ins cite="mailto:Ayo" datetime="2013-04-01T14:14"></ins></span>ho seem to have gotten lost in
the zero and ones. To find more about <i><a href="http://www.heradventure.com/" target="_blank">HERadventure</a> </i>visit the website
<a href="http://www.heradventure.com/">www.heradventure.com</a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNA2IpFohffCoVhYf7f9pVBC1mV26esjXK92TBdivxjbOqPdxvaT-UsfyqUko-JIdTQjYnV0beBmZuxxEtp9qFKzOZzrNXRKIZEtcV1n4__5r4ERTScJ-FfdnWRSqFbJi9Hfmt5U3yiyc/s1600/Screen+shot+2013-04-03+at+12.18.17+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNA2IpFohffCoVhYf7f9pVBC1mV26esjXK92TBdivxjbOqPdxvaT-UsfyqUko-JIdTQjYnV0beBmZuxxEtp9qFKzOZzrNXRKIZEtcV1n4__5r4ERTScJ-FfdnWRSqFbJi9Hfmt5U3yiyc/s320/Screen+shot+2013-04-03+at+12.18.17+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Have your story or opinion featured by e-mailing tickles.tv@gmail.com</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html" target="_blank">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a></div>
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-23836885405533374912013-01-03T07:19:00.000-08:002013-01-03T07:19:41.609-08:00Tarantino Unchained By Jelani Cobb from <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/01/how-accurate-is-quentin-tarantinos-portrayal-of-slavery-in-django-unchained.html" target="_blank">The New Yorker</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZCulNgdgpPdmHJdj2er5dWgN5RFRaBYg1sgAE9vkwQekkP8Z9X0d2rplmsvr6tPCDmDZ8sb7mfoyhveYNAUQp1JpfFJhioATRiCjPI9mH1Qc_2b1q8hyGRL57xJ8_OpBXDlajJstmQ4/s1600/willia29.gif" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4ZCulNgdgpPdmHJdj2er5dWgN5RFRaBYg1sgAE9vkwQekkP8Z9X0d2rplmsvr6tPCDmDZ8sb7mfoyhveYNAUQp1JpfFJhioATRiCjPI9mH1Qc_2b1q8hyGRL57xJ8_OpBXDlajJstmQ4/s320/willia29.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
In early 2010, not long after the release of Quentin Tarantino’s
Second World War revenge epic, “Inglourious Basterds,” I began teaching a
course on American history at Moscow State University. When a Russian
friend asked me what I thought of the film I told him I loved the way
the director created an alternate history in order to make a larger
point about the universal nature of heroism. My friend and, as I later
learned, lots of other Russians took issue with the film for precisely
that reason. “Is this,” he asked, “how Americans really perceive World
War II?” In Russia, where the annual May 9th celebrations of the German
surrender dwarf those of the Fourth of July in this country, the
sacrifices that were crucial to defeating Hitler are a point of huge
national pride. The history department at the university features a
marble monument to hundreds of university students who died defending
the country. Because many Russians feel that the world—and particularly
the United States—has never properly recognized the scale of their
losses, they tend to see “Inglourious Basterds” not as a revenge fantasy
but as an attempt to further whitewash their role in Hitler’s demise.
The alternate history in “Inglourious Basterds” failed there because the
actual history had yet to be reconciled. The movie’s lines between
fantasy and the actual myopic perspectives on history were so hazy that
the audience wasn’t asked to suspend disbelief, they were asked to
suspend conscience. With “Django Unchained,” Tarantino’s tale of
vengeful ex-slave, what happened in Russia is happening here. <br />
<div id="entry-more">
The theme of revenge permeates Tarantino’s
work. If the violence in his films seems gratuitous, it’s also deployed
as a kind of spiritual redemption. And if this dynamic is applicable
anywhere in American history, it’s on a slave plantation. Frederick
Douglass, in his slave narrative, traced his freedom not to the moment
when he escaped to the north but the moment in which he first struck an
overseer who attempted to whip him. Quentin Tarantino is the only
filmmaker who could pack theatres with multiracial audiences eager to
see a black hero murder a dizzying array of white slaveholders and
overseers. (And, in all fairness, it’s not likely that a black director
would’ve gotten a budget to even attempt such a thing.)</div>
<br />Read more: <a href="http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/01/how-accurate-is-quentin-tarantinos-portrayal-of-slavery-in-django-unchained.html#ixzz2GvS6m8xw" style="color: #003399;">http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/culture/2013/01/how-accurate-is-quentin-tarantinos-portrayal-of-slavery-in-django-unchained.html#ixzz2GvS6m8xw</a><br />
<br />
Have your story/ opinion featured on HOTUC by e-mailing tickles.tv@gmail.com<br />
<br />
<a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html" target="_blank">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-45179340478869831392012-11-07T08:00:00.000-08:002012-11-07T08:00:02.909-08:00Obama has 99 Problems but Mitt Ain't One <iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/2C22wBf2h5k" width="560"></iframe><br />
<br />Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-76570605934282953582012-10-30T12:58:00.001-07:002012-10-30T12:58:28.234-07:00Dear Mrs. Romney...I know You Aint Talking To Me...<div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";">Dear Mrs. Romney,</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgGLJ4sCGTT6yPdxOQuBjKrqLTuwI6yYQ6M2KC6iqAO6byf5cAwvATswQQ6hjnDJuzQje-tqFvgF7t50_ExtVhgI1ICjXmkDtbZ1XdrKjg52tgbkq1TDSodWQ6K3JEBi706G5vak6qS0/s1600/Mittand+Ann_jpg_630x425_q85.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdgGLJ4sCGTT6yPdxOQuBjKrqLTuwI6yYQ6M2KC6iqAO6byf5cAwvATswQQ6hjnDJuzQje-tqFvgF7t50_ExtVhgI1ICjXmkDtbZ1XdrKjg52tgbkq1TDSodWQ6K3JEBi706G5vak6qS0/s320/Mittand+Ann_jpg_630x425_q85.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I
work very hard in my daily life to assume the best about people. So the
only thing I am going to assume about you is that you are probably a
pretty nice person with a good heart. I like to make this global
assumption without the taint of the opinions of others. And I would
appreciate it if you would stop assuming things about me. I am not a
part of the amorphous American female collective you spoke of last
night. In fact, I take great offense to being lumped together with the
female stereotype you presented. I am not the woman you described, nor
are any of my female friends. I am much, much more.Allow me to introduce
myself. I am a member of the middle class, but I haven’t always been. I
have been teaching middle school since I graduated from college. My
first job paid $1300 a month. For seven years I supplemented my income
by working evenings and weekends at a movie theater and a retail store.
This was to pay my rent and my car payment and buy a few groceries.
After seventeen years as a teacher, I have earned a Master’s degree, an
Education Specialist degree and an administrative license. I am happily
married with two elementary-age kids. My husband and I are both
educators, and there is still no money left at the end of the month. We
continue to live paycheck to paycheck.That’s what two teachers with two
kids do.</span></div>
</div>
<div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">We
don’t have a housekeeper or a nanny. We don’t have personal assistants.
All our limited disposable funds go towards riding and violin lessons,
karate class, field trips, and school clothes for the kids. If we need
new clothes, we wait for clearance sales and shop at discount stores. If
one of the kids wants to add an enrichment activity to their schedule,
we juggle our finances to decide what we can give up.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">We
have debt and student loans that impede our financial progress, both of
which have accrued over the years as we have tried to live pretty
average everyday lives. When it’s time for our kids to go to college,
let’s hope they qualify for scholarships; “shopping around” for a more
affordable option would mean no higher education for our kids. Period.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Disposable income for this middle class family is a joke.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">But
I digress. I am a woman, and you don’t know the first thing about me.
When you suggest that it’s a “woman’s lot” to work all day then come
home and cater to her husband and kids, and that you hear my voice, my
blood boils.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You may hear my voice and “love you women,” but you are certainly not listening.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Your
life does not resemble mine in any way. Yes, you have five children and
a debilitating illness. But you also have the monetary resources to
finance support systems. I believe wholeheartedly that being a
stay-at-home mom is a full-time job, but you have no idea what it is
like to be that parent and work a second, or even a third job at the
same time to make ends meet.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">So
please refrain from claiming allegiance with me, from suggesting that
you are an example of “every woman.” That claim is a lie.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Have you ever bounced a check because you had to put gas in your car?</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Have you ever been forced to calculate the cost of your groceries as you shop to be sure you’re not over-budget?</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Have you ever told one of your children that they can have new shoes that fit…after payday?</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Welcome to the reality of this woman.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">And I am incredibly lucky.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I
have a job, as does my extremely supportive husband. We have two sets
of grandparents a stone’s throw away who take care of our kids when
they’re sick or they have days off of school so we don’t have to miss
work. We have a roof over our heads, food to eat, and we have each
other.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">I
can’t imagine surviving under alternate conditions. What about the
single woman who spends fully half of her paycheck on childcare? What
about the woman who is struck with Cancer but ignores her medical needs
in order to put food on the table for her family? What about the woman
who forfeited higher education to raise a child and now has no skills to
find a job? What about the woman who lives in a shelter with her
children in order to escape an abusive partner or as a result of an
eviction?</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">Shopping at Costco does not level this playing field.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">So I take exception to your statement that all women share the same lot in life.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">If
you want to make this claim, if you want to try to convince me that we
are more similar than different, you’re going to have to spend a week or
so walking in my $15 Payless clearance shoes.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">You
are not every woman. You are an incredibly privileged, elite, distorted
version of American womanhood, and you have no idea how the other 99%
live.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">As
your husband and his party try to control my body, my choices, my
well-being, please remember that you and your party will never speak for
me.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div style="margin-bottom: 11.25pt; outline: 0px;">
<div>
<div style="vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">How dare you even try.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
<div>
<div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 10pt;">- Cathy Walker-Gilman</span></div>
</div>
</div>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-85387401194154607812012-10-13T07:15:00.002-07:002012-10-13T07:20:08.632-07:00REGISTER FOR ATLANTA'S WOMEN INTERACTIVE CONFERENCE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aU54cekE27tDrGUfG1nZSEHfGEt_-F4bIiDO29qxEE0l5WeM-j6XDsVz8rR3gvd3UF-yGAdMA8Ky4BP_tuqGpc-f8IzB5v_y5YjHIc6ukPNNFfA9bDslrnxN4cInfzQaaCgxV0KoKko/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-10-13+at+9.56.05+AM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_aU54cekE27tDrGUfG1nZSEHfGEt_-F4bIiDO29qxEE0l5WeM-j6XDsVz8rR3gvd3UF-yGAdMA8Ky4BP_tuqGpc-f8IzB5v_y5YjHIc6ukPNNFfA9bDslrnxN4cInfzQaaCgxV0KoKko/s400/Screen+shot+2012-10-13+at+9.56.05+AM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<a href="http://womeninteractive2012a.sched.org/" target="_blank"><u><b>SCHEDULE INCLUDES<span class="event ev_5"> :</span></b></u></a><br />
<span class="event ev_5">Monetizing Your Creativity: Become a Leader of the PAC </span><br />
<span class="event ev_6">How Creatives Can Bid On Government Contracts </span>
<span class="event ev_6"> </span><br />
<span class="event ev_6"><span class="event ev_5">Use Social Media & Mobile Marketing to Build Your Business </span></span><br />
<span class="event ev_6"><span class="event ev_6">Script Writing for the Web </span>
</span><br />
<span class="event ev_6">see full schedule by clicking <a href="http://womeninteractive2012a.sched.org/" target="_blank">here</a></span>
Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-48931516251533008072012-08-15T08:15:00.000-07:002012-08-15T08:15:34.580-07:00Is Everyone But Harry Belafonte Riding Jay-Z's Dick?by today's Urban Chameleon contributor<br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_le7ViE6gsE5U7lJ3Av0QdFg9Q1tHGBUsi-e5a0QSdNqrV6NFIw7o_wjur1_oObA-imXOVNdWi4gX92_0LGJDmCGz6qV8zx4PomEeRfvM4YpLU4dcFd_2N_tHJUOIf_3P2ObzDTsxN0/s1600/UPTOWN_harry_belafonte.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhq_le7ViE6gsE5U7lJ3Av0QdFg9Q1tHGBUsi-e5a0QSdNqrV6NFIw7o_wjur1_oObA-imXOVNdWi4gX92_0LGJDmCGz6qV8zx4PomEeRfvM4YpLU4dcFd_2N_tHJUOIf_3P2ObzDTsxN0/s200/UPTOWN_harry_belafonte.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeJ9RLa7fDJAIRN5XxarlHR0zau8Vl5IKoUR7Pz4ZX5lV9GXXk2YTgW5cGFL8T6KTppPc6_bMdsjEAcBx_IzfPUUkyZxCyLi8egqzIV-fuiNK3aZWnq_n0ro24ixV7wRBp61QC9E32Z8/s1600/Beyonce-Jay-Z.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgeJ9RLa7fDJAIRN5XxarlHR0zau8Vl5IKoUR7Pz4ZX5lV9GXXk2YTgW5cGFL8T6KTppPc6_bMdsjEAcBx_IzfPUUkyZxCyLi8egqzIV-fuiNK3aZWnq_n0ro24ixV7wRBp61QC9E32Z8/s200/Beyonce-Jay-Z.jpeg" width="200" /></a>Yes I said it. And I no I cannot wait until I have the privilege of being 85 years old like Mr. Harry Belafonte to say what needs to be said.<br /><br />In a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Mr. Belafonte was asked if he was happy with today's Hollywood images of minorities. Mr. Belafonte replied, "Not at all...It is all --excuse my French--shit."<br /><br />He goes on to use Jay-Z and Beyonce as an example of turning their backs on social responsibility. It's hard to ignore this point and so I'm in conversation about it.<br /><br />So why aren't more of today's young Black rich celebrities socially active? One could also ask, should more Black elders be holding them responsible?<br /><br />Regardless of how you analyze this question, what's worth noting is that something happened between the Civil Rights Movement and the Hip Hop Generation.<br /><br />My mom recalls when drugs were deliberately put into the Black communities to break up the power behind unifying the community. All that hard work and blood shed, which once had a clear community purpose lost its road map. So even though we won the<br />right to sit in the front of the bus, it didn't stop some of us from acting like a fool on that<br />bus.<br /><br />I can only imagine Jay-Z's reality from his songs and lyrics, framing for us what it took<br />for him to get to where he is. Pulling himself up by his own boot straps after he had to<br />make the boot, steal the materials for the boot and lets not forget, get shot at for the<br />boot. It's not so unreal that a rich rapper's financial values would be more in line with a<br />conservative Republican. I got mine, you betta get yours.<br /><br />Even though our community is suffering from poverty, mass incarceration, and unequal<br />educational systems, unlike Mr. Belafonte, for Jay-Z, the term "community" may just be<br />a definition in the dictionary. Yes, Jay-Z has the Shawn Carter foundation that has made<br />charitable contributions. However, <a href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CEoQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kulturekritic.com%2F2012%2F08%2Fnews%2Fharry-belafonte-calls-out-jay-z-and-beyonce-for-selfishness%2F&ei=ArorUPmbM5O29gTuu4CIDg&usg=AFQjCNGT_CSt0v96QxSWxgKNY-EVY3TUaQ" target="_blank">KultureKritic</a> interestingly breaks down that the $1.3<br />million dollars given away through 750 Scholarships estimates to be about $1,733 per<br />child. Not only can that barely get anyone though a semester of college it can't even<br />buy one of those kids a Louis Vitton bag. Is the foundation more of a public relationship<br />obligation and tax write off rather than an actual social responsibility.<br /><br />Although I don't have the answer, I'm sure as hell glad that Mr. Belafonte isn't more<br />concerned with chilling in the champagne room with Jay-Z than he is with calling him<br />out and asking some real questions. I sure hope Jay-Z isn't at home working an a Belafonte<br />retaliation track...cause this beef is way more serious than that sh*t that went down with<br />Nas.<br />
<br />
Have your Urban Chameleon opinion featured on an issue by e-mailing <a href="mailto:tickles.tv@gmail.com">tickles.tv@gmail.com</a><br />
<br />
Click here for: <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html" target="_blank">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-64884738876855886412012-06-19T16:42:00.000-07:002012-06-20T19:52:48.720-07:00Adidas Sneaker Controversy on Huffington Post (the extended version)<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:"Courier New";
panose-1:2 7 3 9 2 2 5 2 4 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Wingdings;
panose-1:5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:2;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:0 268435456 0 0 -2147483648 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Palatino;
panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
a:link, span.MsoHyperlink
{mso-style-priority:99;
color:blue;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
a:visited, span.MsoHyperlinkFollowed
{mso-style-noshow:yes;
mso-style-priority:99;
color:purple;
mso-themecolor:followedhyperlink;
text-decoration:underline;
text-underline:single;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
/* List Definitions */
@list l0
{mso-list-id:249319228;
mso-list-template-ids:-151745540;}
@list l0:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l0:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l0:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l0:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1
{mso-list-id:791365983;
mso-list-template-ids:454688850;}
@list l1:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l1:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l1:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l1:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2
{mso-list-id:1052852460;
mso-list-template-ids:-1647033904;}
@list l2:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l2:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l2:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l2:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3
{mso-list-id:1268123956;
mso-list-template-ids:1712231750;}
@list l3:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l3:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l3:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l3:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4
{mso-list-id:1340351952;
mso-list-template-ids:-1362870874;}
@list l4:level1
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Symbol;}
@list l4:level2
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:o;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:"Courier New";
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";}
@list l4:level3
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:1.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level4
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level5
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:2.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level6
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level7
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:3.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level8
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.0in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
@list l4:level9
{mso-level-number-format:bullet;
mso-level-text:;
mso-level-tab-stop:4.5in;
mso-level-number-position:left;
text-indent:-.25in;
mso-ansi-font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Wingdings;}
ol
{margin-bottom:0in;}
ul
{margin-bottom:0in;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">by today's Urban Chameleon contributor & Editor-in-chief, HaJ </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMvcf3-nV44JiqiwhYjKMc8PYCCKXSfj8TTPc_ZDIhIXKnHIfpU9gHX2hOjtKsFbGA0eTzJXU8kkTaphItmmBpNt8ciFvyiELg1v9QxfYGoCrz2uQK7nk-bUbdYL4Ue1STJJnoIkQIOg/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-19+at+7.34.43+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkMvcf3-nV44JiqiwhYjKMc8PYCCKXSfj8TTPc_ZDIhIXKnHIfpU9gHX2hOjtKsFbGA0eTzJXU8kkTaphItmmBpNt8ciFvyiELg1v9QxfYGoCrz2uQK7nk-bUbdYL4Ue1STJJnoIkQIOg/s200/Screen+shot+2012-06-19+at+7.34.43+PM.png" width="197" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">I was invited to participate in Huffington Post's live video chat hosted by Marc Lamont Hill
discussing the Adidas "slave sneaker" controversy. You can watch by
clicking on the <a href="http://www.spreecast.com/events/is-adidas-making-us-a-slave-to-fashion">link</a>.
However, my written commentary may better reflect the points I was hoping to make.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-line-height-alt: 9.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">Initial Reaction to the Sneaker -
When you look at this what are your thoughts?</span></b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;"></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">1.
I almost drowned in tears of laughter. Did someone really say let's make a
"slave sneaker?" Where the hell were the Black executives at Adidas
during the proof of concept meeting? Please don't tell me they got the -itis
and missed the meeting after indulging in the Burger King crispy chicken wrap.
Wait a minute, has this slave sneaker revealed a bigger issue --- that Adidas
has nobody on staff who is a descendent of a slave to say, "Hey guys, too
soon?" </span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l2 level1 lfo2; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">What Does It Mean to Have Shackles
On Sneakers Targeted To The Urban Community </span></b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;"></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_s_OmtO1LhM5VOmDiHfPru3I_lbdrg6vHbgFkjFg56tycEKMYk5dIqhLb80Rwffk-ugruFriqMsCOFzdVV6C0ZrqE701g0kg5eqGKxkiMPLsbU6Qj25XvnDC4I5aAgpx0r0L-JLrQFg/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-19+at+7.36.25+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj_s_OmtO1LhM5VOmDiHfPru3I_lbdrg6vHbgFkjFg56tycEKMYk5dIqhLb80Rwffk-ugruFriqMsCOFzdVV6C0ZrqE701g0kg5eqGKxkiMPLsbU6Qj25XvnDC4I5aAgpx0r0L-JLrQFg/s200/Screen+shot+2012-06-19+at+7.36.25+PM.png" width="199" /></a><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">2. Wait, what are we defining as "targeted? I've heard
two different narratives for the concept behind this design. 1) "This
sneaker is so hot it must be chained to your ankle." 2) The designer feels
like a slave to the fashion industry." Regardless both ideas deserve a
good lynching. <br />
<br />
On the other hand, there is great irony that the "urban community"
would have such a visceral reaction to a sneaker. Why is that? Because
"we" <i>are</i> slaves to our sneakers. How many times have we heard
a story about someone getting shot (or at least Tasered because someone's
sneaker's got stepped on. Hell, I've almost shot someone myself (with a water
gun of course). Now that's commentary I could have gotten behind the
designer on. In fact, the slave sneaker should have been a crispy
white pair of Jordan’s with a foot a print on the toe and spots of blood
representing the fallen homies.</span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l1 level1 lfo3; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">Is This Racial Insensitivity?</span></b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;"></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">3.
You have to be sensitive to be insensitive. We as Black people are
programmed to be confrontational about race because our history includes
fighting for basic human rights because of our race. White people have the luxury of
coming up with designs like slave shackles without it having any kind of
stigmatization on their identity. Wait, am I being racist assuming the slave
sneaker designer is white? Regardless, my people...Black people crave that kind
of freedom...but wait, a lot of us would then be out of work (including
myself). What would there be to complain about? Never mind. Racism may be doing
more for the economy than government. </span></div>
<ul type="disc">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l4 level1 lfo4; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">Should We Just Let It Go? - (Do we
see race in everything?) </span></b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;"></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 12.0pt;">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">4. Let it go? Let it go? Hell no!!! (That is until the next
racially charged news line) Of course we see race in everything. Our freedom
was built on it. However, I sometimes think it's us perpetuating racism. We've
become a reactionary culture instead of a proactive one. We for some reason
continue to seek white's people's approval (even subconsciously). We complain
there are not enough of us in this or that instead of building our own systems
that work for us. Imagine if we spent less energy complaining and more
creating. Did I get too deep?</span></div>
<ul type="disc"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82GIXykthOM9BfXH1izGiggWNJQ9wmRbM2Dms5zkyt0-AcTS6w2ByRulBOCRDh5Z7eSL-4GPRQjZ0HKHeLZSiWoyJ6jAeg367Y5KWume1RryPPtIJBPFbfPM7odFCRZJSWN7Q_ULyckM/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-06-19+at+7.36.36+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="163" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg82GIXykthOM9BfXH1izGiggWNJQ9wmRbM2Dms5zkyt0-AcTS6w2ByRulBOCRDh5Z7eSL-4GPRQjZ0HKHeLZSiWoyJ6jAeg367Y5KWume1RryPPtIJBPFbfPM7odFCRZJSWN7Q_ULyckM/s200/Screen+shot+2012-06-19+at+7.36.36+PM.png" width="200" /></a>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="mso-list: l3 level1 lfo5; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">Does Intention Even Matter? </span></b><span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;"></span></li>
</ul>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">5.
Only to the person who had the intention. For everyone else perspective is
reality. Does it matter if the designer was using this monster image as
inspiration? How many Black people would believe him even if he pinky swore?
People only care about how they're affected and maybe as long as they do we
might not ever be able to have a progressive conversation.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">Have
your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing <a href="mailto:ticklestv@gmail.com">ticklestv@gmail.com</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Palatino; font-size: 10pt;">Click
here for <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a></span><span style="font-family: Palatino;"></span></div>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-60224911279353562682012-06-15T19:52:00.000-07:002012-06-15T19:58:55.444-07:00#Dear White People...Light continues to shine on the "Black" experience in America. It seems like every time I look up there is new satire on Black people responding to living in a "white world." The trailer for a new film currently looking to <a href="http://www.indiegogo.com/dearwhitepeople">raise money for production</a> called, <i>Dear White Peopl</i>e was released on YouTube only a couple of days ago and has gone viral. The film appears to explore the same ol' issues that Black people have been complaining about for years, hair touching, that one Black friend and white people's craving to use the "N" word. However, <i>Dear White People </i>not only<i> </i>satirically integrates the current day chatter of the Black community down to "Tell Lucas I want my $15 back for <i>Red Tails</i>!" but appears to be very cinematic, which commands a different kind of attention from the videos about race on the web.<br />
<br />
I wonder what white people have to say about all this circulated Black commentary. Maybe it's time for a two-way conversation? And I don't mean the reactionary mean spirited, racist and ignorant remarks found in the comment section on YouTube. Real talk what are we all looking to ultimately achieve?<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="415" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/watjO62NrVg" width="400"></iframe> <br />
<br />
Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles@gmail.com<br />
<br />
Click here for: <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a><br />
<br />Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-2126054446107715582012-04-11T13:04:00.007-07:002012-04-11T13:33:29.235-07:00It’s Not Like White People Don’t Know Black People Eat Chicken: The #MaryJBlige Controversy<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="">by Funnel Cake Flowers, The Urban Chameleon news reporter</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 125px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK9qEbmi5EAEen_x_-x1mbS6FFOv9ZqgPrOZ4jkMHw2o4ynCbKy-_jTlo__2Cp6dcOPGfrry-ANhxlSQXiBvLYFFGBjTgHnOZNk1s6ZSCDdiSiSKnzezUWddstv5w343MCXelMNa4H8tI/s200/FC+Headshot.png" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730241452371873986" /></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style=""></span></p><p class="MsoNormal">If we never saw another Black person associated with chicken would racism go away? Would we get our 40 acres and a mule? Or would there be something else to bitch about?</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">When news broke that Mary J. Blige participated in perpetuating one of the oldest stereotypes in the book by endorsing Burger King’s new crispy fried chicken in a wrap, or something like that, I couldn’t help but to chuckle right before letting out a long ass sigh. To quote the article “Mary J. Blige soulfully sings about chicken,” as if we needed a description of how Mary J. Blige saaaangs or that it would have made a difference if the chicken song were performed in Classic Rock. Regardless, I wasn’t sure if I should be blaming Mary for not knowing better or the Black community for bringing attention to this </span>older than dirt matter.</p><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieOCWNXbutscCgaHf-fnQJJ1p6Kr_LW2wDdN8zWzpQd0qwh0RN97SvTsyQi-aApYF9Npy7iBA1L9cNIDhHKzqV3iL8isKqOarekHyJuq3haj0ZaBrtZD6X9tn1U2LwlnnfTOMxdKVMVtA/s200/mary-j-blige-burger-king-crispy-chicken-wrap-commercial-500x3651.jpg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5730238219928358386" /><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">I sometimes wonder if raising awareness about “Black people chicken singing” does the opposite of what we intend, provide a different reason to be stereotyped. Isn’t saying, “Don’t associate chicken with Black people” just as bad as “All Black people eat chicken?” (However, I do hate that Mary is looking at the only sista in the Burger King trying to make a connection like, "Gurrrrl, I know you about to get some chicken). I digress. </span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">Have we lost sight of what we’re fighting for? Or are Black people just prone to become defensive when it comes to chicken?</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">The original stereo</span>type dates back to when exaggerated depictions of Blacks (blackface minstrelsy) were used as mascots to sell fried chicken (I refuse to include a photo). Mary J. Blige is a rich successful recording artist, recognized internationally, and I doubt that she needs whatever Burger King was paying, although I’m sure it didn't hurt. (Maybe she did it for the free chicken because uhhhh...she actually likes chicken). Regardless, did we ever consider the fact that Mary J. Blige felt like she could comfortably do a commercial about fried chicken might just be the progress we were once looking for? Maybe I’m being too optimistic in my thinking, but I bet in a 2.0 version of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s “I have a Dream” speech, there might just be a line about little Black boys and little Black girls being able to talk about their chicken eating lovin' without shame.</p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">Don’t get me wrong, there have been plenty of negligent moments portrayed in media that need calling out. For Example, I think Bravo and VH1 do more harm to the images of women and minority groups than Mary J Blige singing about chicken, but for some reason Black people never seem to profoundly rally around this. Are we on autopilot; Chicken=problem? If we keep making something a problem when do we ever realize when the problem is no longer a problem? Maybe we should put more focus on having people of color endorse things like granola or yogurt. I know one thing is for sure, it's complicated. I'm Funnel Cake Flowers your Urban Chameleon news reporter.</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles.tv@gmail.com</span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";">Click here for: <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a></span></p><p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";"><br /></span></p>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-26786714522394810262012-03-21T11:54:00.007-07:002012-03-21T15:40:30.635-07:00Trayvon Martin and the fatal history of American racismby today's Urban Chameleon contributor Kevin Powell via The Guardian<br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg41nok8K_9xS2hKpLWzze7rX891lMY-I9ZLQWsrBSKuP7ZTTbRmIpp8bLnQAOo6M3qOX0KONrcYEA-l0OD4MogpoOSTdcQDTIlfgcMv2pECUN5R_7-o16ugW8kkInNGLxB1vqZ-5qMmk/s1600/Kevin+P.jpeg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg41nok8K_9xS2hKpLWzze7rX891lMY-I9ZLQWsrBSKuP7ZTTbRmIpp8bLnQAOo6M3qOX0KONrcYEA-l0OD4MogpoOSTdcQDTIlfgcMv2pECUN5R_7-o16ugW8kkInNGLxB1vqZ-5qMmk/s200/Kevin+P.jpeg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722430975527337970" border="0" /></a></p><p>I am Trayvon Martin.</p><p>So are you. And so is any human being who has ever felt cornered, in a dark and desolate alley, between life and death. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/20/trayvon-martin-death-phone-call">Add the grim reality of skin color in America, and you have the disastrous spectacle of 250lb George Zimmerman</a>, 28, pursuing 140lb Trayvon, 17, until that man-child is screaming "Help!" – and then gasping for air after a bullet from Zimmerman's 9mm handgun had punctured his chest. A majority-white, gated community became, on 26 February, the makeshift mortuary for a black boy who will not get a chance to live, to go to college with his exceptional high school grades, to make something of his life. Trayvon's fatal act: a mundane walk to the nearby convenience store to buy a can of iced tea and a bag of Skittles.</p><p>This is what racism<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4hb4hEKMVpKm9T-6_nMIaJ9GNDCfbCLdiComaJkma_L4Wsd-m5DAg1M7ebZOYlgbjZVIFFT4o49oqEezZNPUcG0xkhnz4aCfDvWlzW3Svun8ywPyPVQssBp8zxAxEIS-VtrOTPsFGZo/s1600/Trayvon-Martin-007.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 120px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR4hb4hEKMVpKm9T-6_nMIaJ9GNDCfbCLdiComaJkma_L4Wsd-m5DAg1M7ebZOYlgbjZVIFFT4o49oqEezZNPUcG0xkhnz4aCfDvWlzW3Svun8ywPyPVQssBp8zxAxEIS-VtrOTPsFGZo/s200/Trayvon-Martin-007.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5722431596349042194" border="0" /></a>, the American version of it, means to black boys like Trayvon, to black men like me. That we often don't stand a chance when it has been determined, oftentimes by a single individual acting as judge and jury, that we are criminals to be pursued, confronted, tackled, and, yes, subdued. To be shocked and awed into submission.</p><p>The police authorities in Sanford, <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/florida" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Florida">Florida</a>, where the shooting occurred, are apparently so mired in racial prejudice and denial that George Zimmerman, at this writing, still has not been arrested nearly a month after Trayvon was killed – in spite of Zimmerman being told, on 911 police dispatch audio, not to follow Trayvon Martin. </p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">In spite of Zimmerman being charged in 2005 with resisting arrest with violence and battery on a police officer...</span><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><br style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">continue reading on <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/mar/20/trayvon-martin-fatal-history-american-racism">The Guardian</a><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles@tickles.tv</span><br /><br />click here for: <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-36387468843493019382012-02-13T07:41:00.000-08:002012-02-13T07:57:59.475-08:00RIP Whitney Houstonby today's Urban Chameleon contributor Kevin Powell via <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/12/rip-whitney-houston#start-of-comments"><span style="font-style: italic;">The </span></a><a style="font-style: italic;" href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/12/rip-whitney-houston#start-of-comments"><span>Guardian</span></a><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSfFNtV78tPhYh5-mnoMlLUDM9qf9nMswIuT2gadYtCi5c3e9VGhSxwE1CH7D1mQsuNUJpprj0MMrOgrp4pXwN2zIChGHirjwmGouNZ0IicjwU7Zpj1C7UZ8sG5NaUhAez8Pqtk5phmI/s1600/kevin_powell-ponder-2501.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 129px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSfFNtV78tPhYh5-mnoMlLUDM9qf9nMswIuT2gadYtCi5c3e9VGhSxwE1CH7D1mQsuNUJpprj0MMrOgrp4pXwN2zIChGHirjwmGouNZ0IicjwU7Zpj1C7UZ8sG5NaUhAez8Pqtk5phmI/s200/kevin_powell-ponder-2501.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5708647088337705682" border="0" /></a></p><p>Slow suicide is the term I've used for years to describe those individuals who are incredibly unhappy in their own lives, in their own skin, and do things to destroy that life, to destroy that skin. Whatever the race or culture of that person is immaterial; it doesn't matter if they are famous and wealthy, or unknown and poor. What matters is the source of their pain, and the ways they've chosen to deal with that pain. Or not.</p><p>I have often wondered if <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/whitney-houston" title="More from guardian.co.uk on Whitney Houston">Whitney Houston</a> was ever happy – as a world-class singer, as a daughter, as a wife, as a mother. <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2012/feb/12/whitney-houston-obituary">She is gone now, her death a sad and jolting concluding scene</a> to a long-running drama that we witnessed – at times, with tremendous pride and at times, with alarming discomfort – because she was by far the most gifted and the most visible singer of her generation, of the past 25 years. And because she battled various forms of drug addiction on an Olympian stage, and was in a wild and notoriously dysfunctional and abusive marriage with <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/r-and-b" title="More from guardian.co.uk on R&B">R&B</a> singer Bobby Brown for 15 years.</p><p>My heart aches for Whitney Houston, even if many of us, through the years, could see such a moment coming. There was too much photographic evidence of her fluctuating weight, of her caramel-brown face drenched in sweat when not performing. But when you die in a Beverly Hills hotel room, at age 48, alone, on the eve of the Grammy Awards, discovered by your bodyguard, after 170m records sold, too-many-to-count Grammy, Billboard, and Emmy awards, and the biggest US single of all time ("I Will Always Love You"), we have to wonder, if we are sincere with ourselves: did we collectively participate in the slow and catastrophic plunge of Whitney Houston?</p><p>For sure, the social media networks are abuzz with genuine tributes to her, from celebrities, from those who actually knew her, from profoundly heart-broken fans. But I also think about how Whitney Houston had declined from American musical royalty to the oft-ridiculed and washed-up singer and drug fiend. There were interventions by her mother, the gospel singer Cissy Houston, and others. But there were also shameful, high-voltage spotlights, like her awkward interview with Diane Sawyer where she declared, when asked about her alleged drug use, <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytJpZguSy2U">"crack is wack."</a> We also cannot forget Bobby Brown's car crash of a TV show, "Being Bobby Brown", which felt like we were watching a buffoonish caricature of love and marriage.</p><p>Yet, we absorbed these moments anyhow, because in this age of reality television, celebrity confessionals, YouTube and TMZ, the tribulations of mega-stars like Whitney Houston not only provide raw amusement for us, but allow us to mask in cowardly fashion our own sins and failings while mocking these clearly flawed human beings. That, indeed, is the great conundrum of the entertainment industry. On the one hand, it affords opportunities to be whatever we want to be, and more. On the flip side, the industry is a space where far too many individuals never fully grow up or evolve, never fully find out who they really are beneath the hype and hysteria.</p>For example, Houston was dogged for years by rumors of lesbianism because of her extremely close relationship with then-best friend Robyn Crawford (after Houston's marriage to Brown, Crawford mysteriously faded from view, and I do wonder what she has to say about Whitney's death), and even of an alleged affair with Tom Cruise's "Top Gun" co-star Kelly McGillis. Who knows what is legit and what is fairy tale, but what if part of Houston's drug dependency and acting out had to do with her living a make-believe existence crafted by others, simply to protect her image and superstardom? What if some of those nearest to her participated in a kind of collusion because they knew that homophobia in America would derail their breadwinner named Whitney Houston? Or because they were homophobic themselves?<br /><br />Continue reading on <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2012/feb/12/rip-whitney-houston#start-of-comments">The Guardian</a><br /><br /><iframe src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/m3-hY-hlhBg" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" width="320"></iframe><br /><br />Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing tickles@tickles.tv<br /><br />Click here for: <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-17642927540205015332012-01-30T10:39:00.000-08:002012-01-30T11:05:48.039-08:00Urban Marketing: The Distinction Between "Good Black Folks" vs. The Other Kind<span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >by today’s Urban Chameleon contributor<br /></span><p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Jha5sGLMV3mIZxANRVrLcDJ_HEHPnO5dR86KweSA0yyqEgMvzdjh0XfhFCqZ32YtIbEhIhYJzh4AB4AZc6kpefMUXJ-LiYfSq3Ht2T8mSaPPj4dvh1Gf4CzzswWQzhkTrWwwEluKoDk/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-01-30+at+1.54.11+PM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 138px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Jha5sGLMV3mIZxANRVrLcDJ_HEHPnO5dR86KweSA0yyqEgMvzdjh0XfhFCqZ32YtIbEhIhYJzh4AB4AZc6kpefMUXJ-LiYfSq3Ht2T8mSaPPj4dvh1Gf4CzzswWQzhkTrWwwEluKoDk/s200/Screen+shot+2012-01-30+at+1.54.11+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703501167321596578" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapXF0QbGyMO0887TJN7pGW1Z9yw7XY4hLRyOimTClODPkwwYBp5gMRzQPnDmlhFvtOlMBv1qPqFOSjJnh_fgXwsl0efq2xeI7VBJ56EU2nMZKJUL_0pZf8BCTMfYgwVerFwv6QKCPGb0/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-01-30+at+1.56.52+PM.png"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 143px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgapXF0QbGyMO0887TJN7pGW1Z9yw7XY4hLRyOimTClODPkwwYBp5gMRzQPnDmlhFvtOlMBv1qPqFOSjJnh_fgXwsl0efq2xeI7VBJ56EU2nMZKJUL_0pZf8BCTMfYgwVerFwv6QKCPGb0/s200/Screen+shot+2012-01-30+at+1.56.52+PM.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5703501375016733986" border="0" /></a></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >A few weeks into my gig at a famous vodka company that shall remain nameless, I was finally beginning to learn the language. I had learned that it was good to use the words "luxury," "authenticity," and "aspirational," especially when describing your own work. It was bad to use the words "Jello shot," "cheap," and "drunk." You weren’t drunk from doing too many cheap Jello shots, you were savoring the value-priced edible cocktails.<br /></span> </p><p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Whenever the topic of “urban” marketing came up, everyone seemed suddenly uncomfortable. Voices shifted upwards in pitch and speech became more deliberate. I had no idea why everyone was so nervous about selling vodka in cities. </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >One day, in a Power Point presentation, it all became clear. With our “urban marketing approach,” we were still supposed to “align ourselves with luxury brands” to make our famous vodka seem more expensive and exclusive. Therefore putting the bottle next to a $5,000 strand of Mikimoto earrings would create that illusion despite the fact that our vodka was available at any liquor store for $35.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >The next slide showed a Blair Underwood lookalike in an expensive suit, drinking a martini in his loft apartment. Again I could hear in my boss’s voice that same tentative, apologetic quality that came up whenever we discussed “the urban market.” The kind of voice people use to talk about something unpleasant that you’d rather not bring up, like gay bashing or slavery.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" > “Let’s make this very clear,” he said. “We market to the <i>elite</i> urban consumer, not just any urban consumer.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >Everyone nodded in approval. The next slide showed several light-skinned Black women in a restaurant, drinking cosmos over brunch.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >Holy shit! Urban meant <i>Black!</i> Or people of color anyway; one of the women on the brunch slide looked kind of Dominican. I was in a room of all white people, and my boss was saying that we didn’t want just <i>any</i> Black people to drink our vodka. It had to be the <i>right kind</i> of Black people. The kind that seemed not to be a threat.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >The next slide showed P Diddy in front of a Ciroc step and repeat.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >“Just look at Puff Daddy and Ciroc,” said my boss. “That is <i>so</i> unluxury.”</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >A murmur of derision went around the room as my colleagues expressed their disdain towards Diddy.<br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >As a white woman, I was more than uncomfortable with this setting. It was a world I tried my hardest to be a chameleon but eventually became exhausted by the limited exposure these people had the nerve to be marketing to in addition to my mandatory weekly hair and makeup appointments trying to get <i>me</i> to fit in. I finally quit after a consultation with their stylist who said to me, “I see you wear big earrings, they bring attention up here.” She waved her hand around my face, insinuating there was something wrong with it. Continuing she said, “But what I’d like you to do is start wearing larger necklaces to bring the focus to your best feature.” She then gestured to my bosom.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style=""><span style=" ;font-family:Times;font-size:100%;" >Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing <a href="mailto:tickles.tv@gmail.com"><span style="color:blue;">tickles.tv@gmail.com</span></a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-top-alt:auto;mso-margin-bottom-alt:auto"><span style="font-family:Times;mso-bidi-Times New Roman"font-family:";font-size:100%;" >Click here for: <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a></span></p>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13474440066224790143noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-74087475439772861232012-01-23T14:07:00.000-08:002012-01-23T15:03:00.707-08:00#Redtails and the Big Guilt Trip Scam<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<style>
<!--
/* Font Definitions */
@font-face
{font-family:Arial;
panose-1:2 11 6 4 2 2 2 2 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536859905 -1073711037 9 0 511 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-font-charset:78;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1791491579 18 0 131231 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:"Cambria Math";
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1107305727 0 0 415 0;}
@font-face
{font-family:Cambria;
panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4;
mso-font-charset:0;
mso-generic-font-family:auto;
mso-font-pitch:variable;
mso-font-signature:-536870145 1073743103 0 0 415 0;}
/* Style Definitions */
p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal
{mso-style-unhide:no;
mso-style-qformat:yes;
mso-style-parent:"";
margin:0in;
margin-bottom:.0001pt;
mso-pagination:widow-orphan;
font-size:12.0pt;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
.MsoChpDefault
{mso-style-type:export-only;
mso-default-props:yes;
font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria;
mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝";
mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast;
mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria;
mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin;
mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman";
mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;}
@page WordSection1
{size:8.5in 11.0in;
margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in;
mso-header-margin:.5in;
mso-footer-margin:.5in;
mso-paper-source:0;}
div.WordSection1
{page:WordSection1;}
-->
</style>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">by today's Urban Chameleon contributor</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQN4ymhI3gyVhgBwaVpBvdp7uew8-oxax1oYyaLTE6uQJLu1IFdDjPhDgkaZXrNXSm0ScqgHd2PShnE_d9vJEFOGTAf_ft5TEDDD4cwPq06-eLPWiU3qT9lzFfgmpPfl8oiOAq4GijcLx/s1600/Red-Tails.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOQN4ymhI3gyVhgBwaVpBvdp7uew8-oxax1oYyaLTE6uQJLu1IFdDjPhDgkaZXrNXSm0ScqgHd2PShnE_d9vJEFOGTAf_ft5TEDDD4cwPq06-eLPWiU3qT9lzFfgmpPfl8oiOAq4GijcLx/s320/Red-Tails.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span>I am so
sick and tired of going to see a Black film out of charity. Every time a Black
film is released the word “support” is not far behind, and George Lucas’s
latest project featuring an all Black cast, <i>Red Tails</i> is no exception. Black
people everywhere were dumb founded that Mr. Star Wars himself could not get
Hollywood on board to make his $(93) ninety-three million dollar film; a
story about the Tuskegee Airmen. Thus the campaign tagline for <i>Red Tails</i> was
solidified, “Support This Black Film!”</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"></span></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">The media
roll out plan was perfect; as the exposed plight of Lucas’ fired people up to
get their “activism” on by posting articles, Facebook Status Updates and Tweets
reiterating the importance of “supporting” <i>this</i> Black film.
The results lead to a successful $(20) twenty-million dollar opening weekend. It
almost felt like there was more patriotism displayed for Lucas than there
was for Troy Davis. Regardless, we did it! We showed Hollywood, and therefore
can expect more films about the Black experience coming soon to a theater near
you. Right? Wrong!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Do you
know how many Black films have done “surprisingly” well over the last twenty
years at less than a fraction of the cost of <i>Red Tails</i>? Are we not still
having the same damn conversations about Hollywood not making Black films? Let alone ones that are diverse? (See
article: <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2010/05/all-we-do-is-eat-fight-fck-dance-and.html" target="_blank">All We Do is Eat, Fight, F*ck, Dance and Pray</a>.) Is Hollywood all of a sudden
going to start churning out $(100) one-hundred million dollar Black pictures?</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">I don’t
think so.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Spike Lee
can’t even get 40 acres and a mule. Hate to burst the bubble, but Hollywood is
predominately ran by white men who don’t understand Black people; even though
they swear they do. In pitch meetings, Hollywood executives are quick to state
why a Black film won’t do well (welcome to the pity party Lucas) and include
statistics about the ones that have failed. Even though these statistics are
smaller than a pubic hair compared to the number of white films that fail year
after year. The reality is, “Black” cannot possibly represent a universal
experience and Hollywood won’t invest. Instead of continuing to knock on the same door that doesn't want to let you in, build a new house. With all the technology at our finger tips why not start investing in new distribution models and tell Hollywood to kiss your Black ass!</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">So why
did I end up seeing <i>Red Tails</i> if it wasn’t to send a message to Hollywood? One
word, GUILT. All the Facebook updates had me feeling like I was a
sell out, Anti-Black, if I didn’t see it opening weekend and support an
important story about Black History. There was just one problem...<i>Red
Tails</i> has no story, at least not the one that their PR team is pimping. I
walked away with no real understanding of who the Tuskegee Airmen were and what
made them exceptional. It’s not enough to show scenes where a white man either
calls or treats the Black man like a nigger to validate storytelling. In fact,
there was more of an emphasis on the Tuskegee Airmen blowing up the enemy than
there was on a fight for equality.</span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<span style="font-size: small;">
</span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">At the end
of the day, I knew from the moment I first saw the trailer that this wasn’t a
film I wanted to see. Regardless if you agree or not, shouldn't I
have <i>that </i>freedom of choice?</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Have your Urban Chameleon story featured by e-mailing <a href="mailto:tickles@tickles.tv">tickles@tickles.tv</a></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;"> </span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial;">Click here for: <a href="http://homeoftheurbanchameleon.blogspot.com/2009/04/how-urban-chameleon-came-to-be.html" target="_blank">How the Urban Chameleon Came to be</a></span></span></div>
</div>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447009806473021323noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-76894826527019777322012-01-12T17:01:00.000-08:002012-01-13T11:52:06.368-08:00"Sh*t White Girls Say to Black Girls" Rocks the Boat!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
by Funnel Cake Flowers the Urban Chameleon news reporter<br />
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjyZOszgf4gmzRuJCio4xZpo5LjL84skvFv8cKtd1M3WdSxt2DHYQ5QW8LjfO__pd3Fp9VBmDHz728oT5xzsRSSyyyRPTS_u1IlIR71sEV1mEF1EWuJF5qSWFdKIQHhzsokUSMMDKq_xn/s1600/FC+Headshot.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqjyZOszgf4gmzRuJCio4xZpo5LjL84skvFv8cKtd1M3WdSxt2DHYQ5QW8LjfO__pd3Fp9VBmDHz728oT5xzsRSSyyyRPTS_u1IlIR71sEV1mEF1EWuJF5qSWFdKIQHhzsokUSMMDKq_xn/s1600/FC+Headshot.png" /></a><i><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylPUzxpIBe0">Sh*t White Girls Say to Black Girls</a> </i>is one of the latest videos to take the Internet by storm, having been viewed by over 4 million in less than a week. The creator, Franchesca Ramsey, a young, dark skin, Black woman with locs throws on a blond wig and goes IN, reenacting remarks made by “white girls”. At first I was bewildered by the sensation of this video.<br />
<br />
This isn’t news. Is it? My friends of color and I were used to these same ignorant or shall I say ign’t comments made about our race (including African America, Asian, Latino, Indian, etc)…from another race. But then I realized that our kitchen table conversations are rarely up for discussion on a platform with global reach, so this was news for many.
Despite the familiarity of the subject, most of my Black girl friends find the video hysterical... truth that resonates tends to do that. Meanwhile, a lot of non-Black girls aren’t laughing. (Not all, as some have openly admitted that they act like the girl in the video) but one person even went off on a rant after being insulted by the line about Jews. (Now ya know you cannot talk about Jews!)<br />
<br />
Oftentimes things go viral but the message gets missed. If you’ve read Franchesca Ramsey’s interview in the <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/franchesca-ramsey/shit-girls-say_b_1184130.html?ref=women&ir=Women">Huffington Post</a> it reveals that the video is based on TRUTH! Come on people (who were insulted), ya kinda can't deny someone's truth no matter how insulted <i>you</i> are and quite frankly this is a truth that needs addressing. Unfortunately, if you’re not familiar with how many of us “Black girls” REALLY CAN RELATE to <i>Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls</i> in our own interracial relationships you think the actor, Franchesca Ramsey is the one that started this fight.<br />
<br />
If anything, <i>Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls</i> is a testament to the lack of perspective with in the media regarding people of color. Both parties maybe to blame for this. White friends of mine have told me that white people don’t like talking about race and especially NOT slavery. And lawd knows Black people are conscious of what white people think so don't always say what they really want to say. But if we don’t start talking about it we’re only continuing this cycle of everyone either being misunderstood or insulted. So what now?<br />
<br />
Regardless of your race, if someone says some ignorant sh*t, CALL THEM OUT (without getting physical or stank...cause that's just ign't.) As Urban Chameleons we sometimes tend to fear the consequences and chameleon into silence. But part of being an Urban Chameleon is helping someone else to become one…by exposing them to your truth so that the next time they encounter someone like you they won't say some ignorant shit and real conversation can begin.<br />
<br />
Have a story you want to me to report? E-mail me at <a href="mailto:funnelcakeflowers@tickles.tv">funnelcakeflowers@tickles.tv</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.andersoncooper.com/2012/01/10/bleep-white-girls-say-to-black-girls-creator-speaks-out/">Creator of <i>Shit White Girls Say to Black Girls</i> on Anderson Cooper</a><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0vUa_1a3qPzbU4-Hl8pInVDeIdvcaqY3vSc7oUr21UcobRKEr1IkDIbwJjTxbYSNBMxajy_zLN-B4AJ9jyBTl6vueJnBCeaclfj-3XjqazfOaAvBPDkks3SwZJ5OAhYdBbKFijQx63xJ/s1600/Screen+shot+2012-01-12+at+7.49.39+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgn0vUa_1a3qPzbU4-Hl8pInVDeIdvcaqY3vSc7oUr21UcobRKEr1IkDIbwJjTxbYSNBMxajy_zLN-B4AJ9jyBTl6vueJnBCeaclfj-3XjqazfOaAvBPDkks3SwZJ5OAhYdBbKFijQx63xJ/s320/Screen+shot+2012-01-12+at+7.49.39+PM.png" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/q8PgO0AT4B0" width="360"></iframe></div>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447009806473021323noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-610937282836232507.post-37493054293705955442011-11-23T09:21:00.000-08:002011-11-23T14:08:25.300-08:00Herman Cain: “The Martin Luther King Values” candidate for president?Funnel Cake Flowers, The Urban Chameleon news reporter comments on the latest attempts to compare Herman Cain with Martin Luther King. Are they more similar than we realize?<br />
contributing Urban Chameleon writer: <a href="http://isawlauren.tumblr.com/">Lauren Brown</a><br />
<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GbxGe7ANA98" width="500"></iframe><br />
<br />
<style>
<!-- /* Font Definitions */ @font-face {font-family:Times; panose-1:2 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:"MS 明朝"; panose-1:0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0; mso-font-charset:128; mso-generic-font-family:roman; mso-font-format:other; mso-font-pitch:fixed; mso-font-signature:1 134676480 16 0 131072 0;} @font-face {font-family:Cambria; panose-1:2 4 5 3 5 4 6 3 2 4; mso-font-charset:0; mso-generic-font-family:auto; mso-font-pitch:variable; mso-font-signature:3 0 0 0 1 0;} /* Style Definitions */ p.MsoNormal, li.MsoNormal, div.MsoNormal {mso-style-unhide:no; mso-style-qformat:yes; mso-style-parent:""; margin:0in; margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:12.0pt; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} .MsoChpDefault {mso-style-type:export-only; mso-default-props:yes; font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-font-family:Cambria; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-fareast-font-family:"MS 明朝"; mso-fareast-theme-font:minor-fareast; mso-hansi-font-family:Cambria; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} @page WordSection1 {size:8.5in 11.0in; margin:1.0in 1.25in 1.0in 1.25in; mso-header-margin:.5in; mso-footer-margin:.5in; mso-paper-source:0;} div.WordSection1 {page:WordSection1;} -->
</style> <br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-style: italic;">Not since Edward Brooke have Black Republicans done well as political office holders. The hit-it and quit-it ouster of Michael Steele reveals that the Black man has an even shorter life expectancy in the GOP than the time in between the use of the “N” word in a Quentin Tarantino film. Statistics like these beg the question of how well Republican’s newest Negro, Herman Cain, will continue to perform on the national stage. Many have said that Cain could be our nations first REAL Black president suggesting that he certainly seems to share more attributes with our beloved civil rights leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, with of course the exception of not participating in the civil rights.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times; font-style: italic;"></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt; font-style: italic;"></span> </div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Like Dr. King, Herman Cain attended Morehouse College. Both King and Cain have started influential movements. For Dr. King, Civil Rights, for Herman Cain, the Intelligent Thinkers movement. But the most damning and </span><span style="font-family: Times;">glaring</span><span style="font-family: Times;"> commonality these two share? Both Republicans??? According to the <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZWXmoC5CYw">National Black Republicans Association </a><u><span style="color: blue;"></span></u>hey are claiming King as one of their own.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<br />
<span style="font-family: Times;"></span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div>
<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">One might now wonder if Dr. King would have supported Cain’s controversial 9-9-9 plan? To date, Dr. King is the only citizen to be prosecuted under the Georgia income tax perjury statute. Which means 9-9-9, would have saved him a world of legal bills. But here is where it gets interesting; Dr. King was also born in 192<b>9, </b>it was <b>9</b> years, between the time he was asked to lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott and when he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Moreover, Herman Cain and Martin King each have 10 letters in their first and last names and what is 10-1? <b>9</b>!</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-size: 130%; font-weight: bold;">999!!!</span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">But is being Morehouse graduates and using complicated math involving the number 9 enough to say that these two Black men are similar? Or has the Republican Party put a DJ Funk Master Flex remix on this beat?</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<span style="font-style: italic;"> </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">Yes both men stress the importance of dreaming but to Cain I say, dream on brotha. I know one thing is for sure, it’s complicated. I’m Funnel Cake Flowers, your Urban Chameleon news reporter from <a href="http://tickles.tv/">Tickles.TV</a></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="font-style: italic;">
<span style="font-family: Times;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto;">
<span style="font-family: Times;">E-mail Funnel Cake Flowers a news story at funnelcakeflowers@tickles.tv</span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10pt;"></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>Tickles.Tvhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08447009806473021323noreply@blogger.com0