President Obama breaks off some Al Green!

Sing it, Mr. President! So nice to seem him having some fun. This was at the end of a fundraiser at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem. 





His speech was amazing, too.

Sh*t we say to each other

For the last few weeks a slew of videos have been passed around the internet about "shit [insert ] say," or "shit [insert] say to [insert]." Some people hate them, saying they perpetuate stereotypes. Other people love them, saying they are funny truths about what they experience and know. 

I love them. I think humor is healing and humor is a great teaching tool. White people are the butt of a lot of the jokes. I'm guessing many people never knew until watching the videos that their words or behavior is offensive. 

See for yourself:

But wait. I'm not laughing anymore. Kind of overwhelming isn't it, after watching 12 in a row. Imagine living with it. Every. Day. Or maybe you do live with it. Every. Day.

Jan. 19 update: If you want to dig into some intelligent analysis of all this, check out this post on Racialicious: Exploring the Problematic and Subversive Shit People Say [Meme-ology]

A little known quote from Dr. King about Native Americans

A little known quote from Dr. King about Native Americans

Source: Supporting South Dakota Reservations

“Our nation was born in genocide when it embraced the doctrine that the original American, the Indian, was an inferior race. Even before there were large numbers of Negroes on our shores, the scar of racial hatred had already disfigured colonial society. From the sixteenth century forward, blood flowed in battles of racial supremacy. We are perhaps the only nation which tried as a matter of national policy to wipe its indigenous population. Moreover, we elevated that tragic experience into a noble crusade. Indeed, even today we have not permitted ourselves to reject or to feel remorse for this shameful episode. Our literature, our films, our drama, our folklore all exalt it.”

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A true visionary who saw the interconnectedness among all in the fight for justice.

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr Holiday: Jan. 16, 2012

The year of barely blogging

My blog calendar says this will be my 45th post this year, down from 77 in 2010. I started out strong but have slowly faded to easy, occasional posts of You Tube videos, links to articles with just a little intro from me, or maybe if I'm feeling motivated, a playlist.

Lazy blogging.

When I launched this blog in December 2008, I was so energized by a platform where I could write freely, mix in multimedia, and have a say about things I cared about. For the most part I think I've been successful. 

Yet the thrill is gone, at least for now.


2011 was a year chock full of news - from the tsunami and earthquake that rocked Japan to the Arab spring to the famine in Somalia, broken American politics, crazy Republican presidential hopefuls, the economy and #OWS, there was plenty I COULD have said. (Well I did say a little about almost all those things...)


But still, what gives?


Is blogging a dying platform? Have our attention spans become so compromised that we can't focus on anything longer than 140 characters? My Google Reader is full of unread posts from other bloggers. And personal blogs gone silent. Is your Reader in similar shape? So much good stuff being written and so few of us reading and participating.


I have built a small and loyal following during my blogging adventure and for that I am very grateful. I'm not sure I'm on my way to being done with this but I might be. Yet I don't want to stop. I think. I don't know.

We'll see what 2012 brings.


For now, I'll close out this last post of 2011 with a wish for you for the New Year: "May the odds be ever in your favor."

For everyone

Read, internalize, repeat as often as is necessary.