Marvin Gaye live: "What's Going On / What's Happening Brother"

Amazing live performance of music that defined my generation and is still hauntingly relevant today. Sing it, Marvin Gaye! Beautiful, beautiful video that intermixes live performance clips with scenes from those times.

She's covered it all: the hajib as power

Last month when I posted "I don't know my Somali neighbors," I never imagined the outpouring of positive responses. I did not imagine Somali and other East African people reaching out to me (and my readers) with information, perspective, and with open hands of friendship. But they did. And my world is forever changed.

In particular I've met and embraced a kindred spirit - Nimo Farah - a young, fierce, open-hearted woman who reposted my blog, offered up her wisdom, and then invited me for coffee. Since then we have begun the journey of real friendship, our commonalities of the soul far outweighing the differences of culture, age, religious practice, and lived experiences.

New friends, old souls, kindred spirits

I had the chance to hear Nimo read her poetry recently and she lit the room on fire with her passion. I am very excited that she has agreed to guest post one of those poems here.

So please welcome Nimo Farah. I invite you to find a place to sit down, perhaps with a cup of tea, to take in this amazing poem.

~~~

Covered

by Nimo Farah

She's covered it all

Draped body dancing freely

The breeze moved her layers of colorful textiles

Intermingling with the air

The trees embrace her

And the sun baths her

She belongs with them without a battle

But in the gray concrete jungle, she does not blend

You spot her from a mile, get nervous by her style

She doesn't pretend

You wish she did not stand out or blend in

There is no pleasing you without baring the skin

You want her to be normal

to blend with them

You think you are the judge of normal

But she's got a normal all her own.

She's covered it all

You wonder who this woman is

And who does she think she is?

She's covered it all,

And you want to be the judge of her beauty

So you scan her up and down

Fashion foreign to you

Her style flows like the Nile

No price on her apparel

No names or nouns for her attire

You see nothing familiar using your eyes

And you're not really concerned with who she really is

Or her intelligence

If every you're willing to spot her soul, she's willing to wear a smile

But you'd rather strip away her garments

Like a peeled fruit you want to leave her naked

But she knows the fate of a peeled fruit

Caressed by the air it is delicate and darkens

You want to caress her with your eyes

Spoil her with your stare

You wonder who this woman is

And who does she think she is?

She's covered it all.

You spot her in the hot summer sun

She continues not to share her skin

You wonder how she withstands the temper of the sun

She's brave with her ways but you want her to be free

So that she can dance in your dreams

You want to separate her body from spirit

Have one without the other

She resists like leaves resisting the wind

You wonder who this woman is 

And who does she think she is?

She's covered it all.

And this you should know

Her garments are powerful!

They connect her with her mother

They're holy scripture

Linking her to the essence and strength of her creator

She loves the texture

And when she ties her scarves with her dresses

She makes strong ropes, escapes wars

Covered up she is superwoman

Walking through violent raindrops, sandstorms

And even bullets.

Her garments are more than material

They tell the stories of her struggle

As she roamed the world chasing peace

Her garments covered her scars

And healed her battle wounds

It is the hijab that was her shield from fear

The hijab that was her security blanket as an infant

Sentimental and sacred

And a test and a protest!

And if you are really wondering who this woman is

She is a woman warrior

With her hijab as her cape!

She's covered it all.

And honestly you don't care to know the depth beyond her exterior

So you bully her with your gaze

Til she shows you inches of her skin

But she's not

Not that kind of woman

She's a woman warrior with her hijab as her cape

And her powers remain a secret

She's covered it all.


~~~


Nimo Farah embraces her experiences as a refugee-Muslim-woman living in America but believes the human spirit it too multi-dimensional to categorize and classify. Exposed to many cultures and struggles, she is inspired to write about and celebrate the resilience, complexity, and compassion of the human spirit. She aspires to be a keeper of her ancestors' rich oral traditions and mother tongue; both are at the brink of being endangered.

Fierce poet, Minnesota style 

Dancing at the Red Sea

"She is a woman warrior with her hajib as her cape..."

NAACP and school choice in the Mpls Public Schools

A story in today's Star Tribune talks about NAACP and their how their efforts to fight for quality education for children of color in the Mpls Public Schools has a double-edged sword, as school choice options may have contributed to the current problems leading to the recommendation to close North High School:

The Minneapolis branch of the NAACP on Wednesday urged parents to consider pulling their children out of the Minneapolis School District in response to Superintendent Bernadeia Johnson’s recommendation to close North High School. Citing multiple school closures on the city’s North Side and low test scores in those that remain, Minneapolis NAACP President Booker Hodges accused Johnson and school board members of failing to educate north Minneapolis’ children, most of whom are black….

 But…. 

As the engine behind the “Choice is Yours” program, the Minneapolis NAACP may have unwittingly played a role in the mass exodus of students from north Minneapolis to suburban districts.

In the late 1990s, the organization’s local leadership sued the state, arguing that state policies and practices concentrated poverty in Minneapolis, making it impossible for Minneapolis schools to adequately educate students.

A March 2000 settlement allowed more Minneapolis families access to suburban schools and magnet programs.

Interest was minimal at first but has increased in recent years, with hundreds of families leaving city schools for neighboring districts...

My perspective: The option for poor urban families of color to choose higher performing suburban schools for their children is only fair. The likely closing of North High is a sad unintended consequence. If the Minneapolis Public Schools were given adequate funds to address the educational needs of its very diverse, mostly poor student body, families would not have left in the first place. Who wants to send their child across town if you have a great school right down the block?

I love my (curly kinky) hair, Sesame Street style

A wonderful celebration of fierce, curly, kinky hair and loving its beauty and all you can do with it! How I wish this had been around when my daughter was small...but it's in the queue to show my granddaughter, who I think has worn every style sported in the video.

DADT rightly, boldly put on worldwide halt

As a lesbian I've heard more than a few stories from women who have been forced to leave the military because of who they love and how they love. I know women whose plans for a military career were needlessly cut short, my spouse included.


I've heard horror stories - told years later, yet still so charged with emotion that tears flow - of being found out, of standing in front of a commanding officer who is demanding to know, "Are you a homosexual?"


Law abiding citizens willing to put their lives on the line for their country being treated as less than, as not normal, as deficient, as a threat to their country's security.


Shame on you, U.S. military.


I can't imagine the sheer amount of talent, drive, and contribution that's been lost to the armed forces because of policies based on fear and ignorance, created and enforced by those who would think that lesbians and gays in the military would weaken, not strengthen us.


Since I'm older, most of those stories precede the military's current "Don't Ask Don't Tell" (DADT) policy, established in 1994, which essentially says you can serve if you are gay, but you better keep it quiet or out you go. Some saw DADT as progress but it is not. It still treats gay and lesbian people as less than whole, as if something is wrong with us.


So I applaud the injunction ordered today by U.S. District Judge Virginia Phillips ordering the military to immediately halt worldwide its ban on gay and lesbian people openly serving in the military, boldly declaring that DADT is unconstitutional. 


For me, this has nothing to do with whether or not you or I oppose or support any current wars. This is about the constitution and supporting equal rights under the law for all.


So I cheer the ruling as a step in recognizing gay people as full citizens in this country, with all the rights and obligations that come with that privilege. I feel a sense of redemption for all who have been hurt or demeaned by the military's fear and ignorance.


And I hope, really hope, that the Obama administration - my president's administration - will not appeal it. President Obama, you told us on the campaign trail that you opposed DADT. As President you have yet to show us that you mean it. 


Change. Hope. Remember all that?


Mr. President, now is your moment. Now is your time to walk your talk.

The History of Rap by Two White Dudes

The history of rap by two white dudes. Really. Does anyone recall that MTV once banned rap. I don’t care if Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake are famous, or even if they are good. Can’t lose the smell of appropriation. Like dead fish it stays with you.