Howard University Students Echo Michael Brown

Hat tip to Blogging Black Miami

Equal Access

Sacramento, CA Mayor Kevin Johnson (center) at a press conference at Los Angeles City Hall with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti (third from left) and current and former NBA players regarding L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling on April 29, 2014, NOEL VASQUEZ/GETTY IMAGES

60 years ago the Brown vs. Education case was decided.

"The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that segregated public schools violated our basic equal rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution—a decision that gave birth, in large part, to the civil rights movement in our country...nearly three generations later, we’re still fighting to provide equal access to a high-quality education for every student in America." Via The Root.

Shameful.

College Debate

Media via Salon.com

Fall 2014 will see me return to the community college classroom as a Communication Studies instructor. It is possible that I will be making a contribution to the very new Hartnell College Speech and Debate team as a coach so it was with some interest that I read this article. I had goosebumps by the end of it: How White Elite Racism Invaded a College Debate Championship, and was reminded Junot Diaz' recent excellent MFA VS. POC post at The New Yorker where he wrote, among other gems: "In my workshop we never explored our racial identities or how they impacted our writing—at all. Never got any kind of instruction in that area—at all."



The author of How White Elite Racism Invaded a College Debate Championship, Brittney Cooper, is one I read regularly at Salon although I must say, this is by far the best thing I've read of hers thus far. Her connection to the competitive speaking community is one I share. She writes:

"I shared news of Ameena’s and Korey’s championship in my social networks with special pride because this coming fall will mark my 20th anniversary as part of the policy debate community. I made the debate team as a precocious 13 year-old high school student, and have remained a part of that community in one form or another as debater, coach, debate camp instructor and tournament judge, for the last two decades.

Other than the influence of my fourth grade teacher, I give no other academic experience more credit for informing how I think, write, research and communicate."

The article is an excellent argument that speaks to how our institutions should begin to reflect their constituents sooner rather than later; a constituency that will not be predominantly white or male.

White Girls

#WhiteGirlsShouldPlaywithBlackDolls
UPDATE:

White child, Doll of Color (DOC). 

UPDATE:

Doll, complete.

I had a little trouble attaching Dolly's head to her body discreetly. However, after learning that the neighbor child loves orange, I added a scarf of the same color around where her neck should be, and voila! 

UPDATE:
I never did end up at the toy store, locally owned or not; what happened is, I decided to whip up a cute little black/brown doll myself. She is pretty much complete except that I haven't yet attached her head to her body. In other news, her hair turned out really well! The crudeness of the execution is entirely down to my lack of rag-doll making skills though I must say, her beautiful brown eyes do shine, and that big gorgeous smile is definitely happy. Her name is Ailema, and I think my little neighbor will like her very much.

Doll, posing.

Doll, up close.

I plan to consult with Boyfriend about how best to attach head to body. He is a tinkerer at heart and the parent of a very artistic and creative daughter with whom he has collaborated on many such projects; I have every confidence that we will be able to attach the head to the body in a minimally invasive fashion.

UPDATE:
Just printed this pattern:

From Make Baby Stuff

ORIGINAL POST:
I'm inspired by the article, Should White Girls Play with Black Dolls? to which my answer is a resounding yes! I am going today to get my nearly two-year-old neighbor a black doll today, and also a brown one. My mother sewed a brown doll for my (now) nineteen-year-old nephew back in the day; I will do the same if I can't find one I like. In other words, the doll must be black and/or brown but cannot embody gender-based stereotypes, so no pink clothing or princess crowns or pro football-themed dolls. I will avoid anything from Disney or other brands with questionable politics because I'm not a huge fan of the movie tie-in product lines for one thing and for another, well, like I said, politics. Off to the (locally owned) toy store - possibly followed by a trip to the fabric store if necessary. The question then becomes, sew by hand? Or drag out the sewing machine?

Pictures later.