Pots and Pages

Well folks, Fall is just about here.  Here in The Dirty Nati, evenings are getting really cool and chilly.  It's time for some heat!  Of course, you all know the Colored Man, and I am thinking about good comforting stews and soups, and some pages to turn in a book or two.

As far as the soup is concerned, I have a recipe for a Columbian soup called puchero, featuring spare ribs, beef brisket, chicken and cassava.  I have never eaten the South American and African staple cassava, but this is definitely one recipe that I will be preparing some weekend as the months get even colder.  Since we all will be spending alot of time indoors watching cable and reading, I thought that I would share with you some books that I think will keep you quite occupied during the upcoming cold season, just as they have keep me entertained in the past few months.

The first book that I am recommending is entitled, Wench, and written by Dolen Perkins-Valdez.  I recently met Mrs. Valdez at a book fair, and asked her what inspired her to write the book.  She explained that she was reading an autobiography about W.E.B. Dubois, and there was a sentence about a summer resort in Ohio, named Tawawa House, where Southern plantation owners brought there female slaves for vacation.  This sparked her interest and she began researching.  What I really like about this book is the fact that it provides new information about something that I never even imagined happened.
At times, both brutal and chilling to read, Ms.Valdez steadily delivers a powerful punch in her first book, that is soon destined for the big screen.  A Must Read.

Ms. Valdez, at the Cincinnati By the Banks Book Fair

 

My next selection, is The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America's Great Migration, written by Pulitzer-prize winning writer, Isabel Wilkerson.  I cannot praise this book enough.  Ms. Wilkerson has written a scholarly tome that focuses on the migration of African-Americans from the South to the North from 1915 to 1970.  The Colored Man finds it very engaging that Ms. Wilkerson interviewed over 1,200 subjects for the book, and narrowed her story down to three individuals - Robert Joseph Pershing Foster, who migrated to California, and became the physician to the entertainer, Ray Charles; George Swanson Starling, who migrated to New York and became disillusioned when his children became trapped in the vices of the big city, despite the hardships and sacrifices that he had endured; and finally, Ida Mae Gladney, who migrated to Chicago, and remembered meeting Barack Obama when he was running to become her district representative in the Illinois state senate.  This is a book that mixes real-life struggles and courage, along with historical documentation. Many of us can relate to the migration saga within our own families, and this book deserves your time and attention.  The Colored Man would not lead you astray.  Trust me.

If you can't tell by now, the Colored Man reads quite alot.  This is something that I have done my entire life.  I mainly read American authors, and only recently started reading books by authors of different cultures.  With that said, I am not into romance-type books, but the next book is kinda "romancy", but also has a good story.  The book is entitled, Conquistadora, and written by Esmeralda Santiago, a writer of Puerto Rican heritage.  The novel is set in the mid-1800's, and is the story of a young Spanish girl, Ana Larragoity Cubillas, who dreams of traveling to Puerto Rico and owning a sugar plantation.  She gets her wish, but you know the old saying, "be careful what you wish for."  According to the author, this is just the beginning of what will be a trilogy of books about the conquistadora, Ana.


My final recommendation to keep you toasty this winter, is entitled, Slavery by Another Name:The Re-Enslavement of Black Americans from the Civil War to World War II, written by Douglas A. Blackmon, a prize-winning writer for the Wall Street Journal, and author of several critically-acclaimed books.  Mr. Blackmon weaves a historical tome that focuses on Black men being rounded up from the roads and settlements in the South, and being placed in modern-day concentration camps to provide labor to plantations and companies throughout the South.  This was a predicament that not only befell many men, but also quite a number of women, who were forced to work as cooks, laundresses, and sex slaves at the various camps located in the South.  This type of slave labor was used to make the bricks that were used on the streets and sidewalks of Atlanta, mined natural resources for Alcoa, and helped several insurance companies become the business giants that they are today.  Two adjectives can accurately describe this book - Enlightening and Maddening.

Well there you have it, Ladies and Gentlemen, about 3,000 pages of various words put together to create a story, or share some history.  These are the books that the Colored Man is recommending for the upcoming frigid days and nights.  I have provided the entertaining, exciting reading material, now the succulent, lip-smacking stews are up to you to come up with.

Slick Rick Meets The Rock

Recently, the Colored Man had to go to Chicago for job training along with two of my co-workers, one White, and one African-American.  My white co-worker drove, which meant that he had a certain control over how fast we got there, as well as what music we listened to while on the trip.  It was a beautiful day to travel, so I got in the back seat and enjoyed the ride.  I knew that my younger colleagues musical tastes were not exactly the same as the Colored Man's, but hey, I like all types of music and figured that the entertainment would not be that bad.

One of the modern miracles in today's cars is satellite radio.  Satellite radio allows you the opportunity to listen to whatever genre or news program that you find enlightening during your travels.  I feel in deep-like with satellite when I had a rental car after some lady back into my vehicle and tore the door and side-mirror off.  I was able to begin watching my favorite morning show while getting dressed and then get into the car and continue to listen to it while driving to work.

As I stated earlier, my co-workers are younger than me and probably don't have the life experiences that I do, so it was no surprise that they chose to listen to gangsta' rap while riding along.  I listened for quite some time, until finally I had had enough of the bitches, ho's, and nigga's, and told me that it was time to change the station to something else.  They changed it, but only to more rap, but this time to old-school rap which the Colored Man can handle a little bit better.

It wasn't so much the rap music that did it in for me, it was really the fact that I just could not bear to be in a situation with a white person, and listening to words that denegrate me, my family, my friends and my neighbors.  It just didn't sit right with me, and I had to say something.  You could say that I was somewhat between a rock and a hard place, because my co-worker could have very easily have told me that it was his car and that he could listen to any type of music that he chose to. 

Rick Perry, the delusional governor of Texas has found himself between a rock and a hard place as well.  His situation concerns an actual rock that announced the name of his family's hunting lodge at the entrance to the compound.  The name of the compound is Niggerhead. 

Now at first thought the Colored Man was surprised that anyone would have this type of language so blatantly visible for all of the world to see.  But then, I began to do some research and found that there are over 750 names on geographical locations across America that use some variation of the word negro.  Some are based on the Spanish word for black, and not necessarily racist, while the majority are a derivation of Mr. Perry's rock.

In 1963 the Federal Government mandated that the offensive term be replaced with "Negro" which was the term used to identify African-Americans at that time.  The only other time that the government has stepped in was to mandate that the word "Jap" be removed and replaced with "Japanese."

America's love-affair with derogatory names and images is long-standing.  Just picture Uncle Ben, Aunt Jemima, The Washington Redskins, The Cleveland Browns.

Now why would Mr. Perry associate himself with someplace that brazenly flaunts its' racist intentions?  Probably because he is an unabashed fool.  He proclaims his foolery from the hallowed halls of academia, telling students at Yale, that he was proud of the dismal grades that he received while in college.  He further let them in on his foolishness by telling them he even got a D in a physical education class. 

Secondly, and probably most important in this examination of Perry's actions, is that he is a racist.  He attempts to portray himself as the enlightened tough-love governor, who is able to present himself as a home-spun local-yocal, but deep-down Mr. Perry holds the sentiments of his many tea bag followers.  The only real difference between the two is that Mr. Perry attended college, and they barely made it out of high school.  Deep down inside, Perry secretly claps and jumps for joy, whenever his friends hoist signs with deragatory images of President Obama.  He talks a good game about immigration, but he really views Hispanics only as maids and lawn company employees, and not as equals.

Unlike the Colored Man who was able to extract himself from between the rock and hard place that he found himself in, Mr. Perry has chosen to ignore his situation as if it doesn't matter.  He thinks that he is the slickest guy on the podium, and will be able to easily slide from between these two hard spots.  But that is not the case, particularly when you aspire to the most powerful position in the world, President of The United States. 

The position of President takes forethought, vision, emphathy, negotiation skills, scholarship, leadership.  Mr. Perry lacks all of these necessary skills, for if he had them he would have used them all, the moment he arrive at the hunting lodge and saw that despicable rock.   What was he thinking?  What messages has he taught his children?  Only a fool ignores the obvious, and repeats the same mistake year after year, drive-by and drive-by.

Something tells the Colored Man that this stone is gathering a lot of moss as it begins its' roll down the hill.  Don't be surprised to see pictures of Perry smiling proudly beside the rock. As we well know from watching previous fools, they always seem to have a penchant for documenting their foolery, and Perry is a first-rate, top-draw fool.

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock.........Next!!!!!!

7:00p.m. - Scheduled time for Troy Davis' execution by lethal injection

America has long had a love-affair with violence and killing.

America has long had a love-affair with violence and killing towards men of color.

America has long had a love-affair with violence and killing towards men of color throughout history, and in 2011 the historical legacy continues.

Troy Davis is awaiting his execution for the murder of a Georgia police officer 20 years ago.  But like so many other men of color, it appears that Mr. Davis is innocent of the crime, but may still have to pay the ultimate price.  Death.

There was a period in American history where lynchings of black men were considered a time for a family retreat, complete with picnic baskets filled with fried chicken and cold ham sandwiches.  Young white children were hoisted upon their father's shoulders to witness the brutality with a better view.  People danced and shouted vulgarities as if they were at a football game.  These lynchings could occur just because a black man did not step off the sidewalk as a white person approached them.  It would definitely occur if some supposed infraction involved a delicate white Southern belle.

7:53p.m. - Mr. Davis' case has been sent to the United States Supreme Court for a Stay of Execution

Last week during the Republican presidential candidates debate, a overall majority white audience enthusiatiscally applauded when Rick Perry was questioned about the state of Texas' death penalty record, and if he had any problems with possibly putting an innocent man to death.

I had no idea that lynchings were such fodder for public joy until a friend took me to an artists' home, whose work she felt that I would enjoy.  While perusing his beautiful canvases, I happened to view some photos of lynchings.  I inquired about them, and he told me that they were postcards that were quite popular at one time in America, and that he collected them.  I found it very interesting that anyone would want to send a picture of someone mutilated and dead to someone else.  Well, the postcards are no longer in vogue, but the killing of black men is still quite the sport.

8:58p.m. - Mr. Davis still awaits his fate

Since 1976, Texas has executed 474 people, followed by Virginia at 109. Across the country, 439 blacks have been executed, while 711  whites have been executed.  Sixteen white defendants have been executed when the victims have been black.  253 blacks have been executed when the victims have been white.  The disparity of the latter statistic could cause one to ask themselves "is taking a black life less worthy of punishment than taking a white life?"  85 people have been released from death-row after being found not guilty. 

Two executions were scheduled for today, and 1is scheduled for tomorrow, September 22nd.

Ten executions were scheduled for the month of September, and 4 of the men were African-American.  Four white men had their executions stayed, while only 2 men of color had their executions stayed.

In many ways a black life has always been worth less than a white life.  History speaks for itself.  We have been chained, whipped, shackled, beaten, raped, molested, attacked by dogs, spit upon, kicked, treated as second-class citizens.  Alot of this happened before the Civil Rights movement which ended the brutalization of black people for the most part, but now they rely on the legal system to dole out death sentences, heavy-handed punishments, and unfair sentences.

In the Troy Davis case, witnesses have recanted statements, there is no DNA evidence linking him to the crime, the district attorney took all of  the witnesses to the crime scene and let them figure out amongst themselves where each person was standing and what happened, and the shenanigans continue.

The Colored Man is somewhat ambivalent about the death penalty.  I feel that at times it is justified, but ONLY when it has been reached based on fully accountable evidence, and ONLY after all means to exonerate a person have been pursued.  The making up of stuff, intimidating witnesses, and twisting and withholding evidence just does not fly with me, which is why I am a strong supporter of groups like The Innocence Project, founded by Barry Scheck, famous for his DNA expertise during the OJ Simpson trial.

9:35p.m. - The waiting continues

I can only imagine what must be going through Mr. Davis' mind right about now.  It's nightmarish - the waiting, the anticipation....is he counting every breath, is his heart racing at breath-taking speed?  Is he calm?  Are childhood memories streaming through his mind, or is he too distraught to really think about anything coherent?  How many times has he wished he could turn back the hands of time, and start all over again?  Does he wish that his mother could hold his face in her calloused hands one more second?  Would the kiss of a soft pair of lips calm him, and take him to another place and time, to that Eden of momentary peace and serenity?  If he is executed, has he thought about his last words?

Mr. Davis is facing the fate that too many black men in America have faced, either through the justice system or vigilantes.  The time has come to end this barbarism in the land of freedom, justice and equality.  It's time to stop railroading innocent men to the death chamber.  It is un-American and the Colored Man must speak out loud and proud.  In fact, all of us should have had enough of the killing.

Oh, and by the way, all of those people who were outside the courtroom protesting the Casey Anthony verdict, where are they now?  Justice is justice, or does it depend on person who needs to be defended?

10:21p.m. - The Supreme Court rejects the Stay of Execution

10:53p.m. - The execution process begins

10:58p.m. - Conciousness check

11:12p.m. - Announced that Troy Davis was pronounced dead at 11:08p.m.

Tick-Tock, Tick-Tock,Tick-Tock

May God have mercy on your souls, May God bless your souls - Troy Davis' last words

Primetime Slavery

First the Colored Man must apologize to one and all for not keeping up with my posts during the past few months.  But things have really been hectic, with a new job and responsibilities and travel.  So please bear with me....I promise to improve over the upcoming months.  Now on to business......

It seems that everyone is enthralled with college basketball these past few weeks.  Many offices have betting pools, and even President Obama has gotten into the action with his own brackets of winners and losers.  Personally, the Colored Man is not really a fan of college sports.  If I watch a game, it's usually the last 5-10 minutes of the game, but I must admit, that some of the games can be extremely exciting towards the end.  The players are really pumped and the fans are excited beyond what you might experience at a professional basketball game.  But, the Colored Man will stick with his Boston Celtics!!!!!!and Washington Redskins!!!(by the way, I also have a problem with mascot names such as Redskins, Braves, Indians, etc.)

I have a problem with the atmosphere of football and basketball, whether they be collegiate or professional level games.  It seems to me that each has a plantation mentality to them.  You have a majority of players who are of color, but most of the coaches, at least the head coaches are not of color.  Then you have the bouncy cheerleaders, the Ms. Scarlet's of the plantation cheering the "bucks" from the sidelines.  In professional sports, the players are not allowed to fraternize with the cheerleaders.  But at least the professional athletes are being paid, and being paid well.  Collegiate athletes don't get paid, but they supposedly attain a college degree through their athleticism, which paves the road to middle-class success.

Many of the universities whose teams play at the level of NCAA championships are sitting on billion-dollar endowments, and pay their coaches millions of dollars in salaries and bonuses.  They are able to pay them that type of money due to television fees, merchandise sales, tickets prices, and a plethora of other financial schemes too many to mention.  On the other hand, college professors don't make a tenth of what the coaches make, and don't have the seemingly endless list of assistants to help them.  But college professors work to graduate students, while it would seem that sports coaches work to win games, not necessarily to produce college graduates.

If you visit http://www.ncaa.org/ you will find an interesting piece of research information that was released in 2010.  Based upon this research the Graduation Success Rate (GSR) for Division I students in the years 2000-2003 for Men's Basketball was 65%.  African-American males had a GSR of 60%.  Overall in 2003, only 64% of all men's basketball players graduated from their respective colleges.  From 1995 - 2003 the graduation for basketball improved by almost 11%.

As of this past Tuesday, everyone knew who would be in the round of Sweet Sixteen.  But the Colored Man is confident that not too many people paid any attention to their graduation rates.  If the basketball teams were seeded based on graduation rates, then the complete seeding would be (team's overall GSR is in parentheses after the school's name):

Men's
BYU (100%)
Marquette (91%)
North Carolina (88%)
(tie) Butler (83%)
(tie) Richmond (83%)
(tie) Duke (83%)
Kansas (80%)
Florida State (73%)
Wisconsin (70%)
Ohio State (64%)
San Diego State (58%)
VCU(56%)
(tie) Kentucky (44%)
(tie) Florida (44%)
UConn (31%)
Arizona (20%)

For rates on the women's teams, please visit http://www.tidesport.org/

As I am writing this post, UNC and Kentucky are playing.  Each team has 4 African-American players on the court playing.  Based on statistics, Kentucky will only graduate 2 players, while UNC will graduate about 4 players.  But remember, African-American players have a 60% graduation rate, so really the rate for them is less than their white teammates.  These numbers are dismal and pathetic, which is why the Colored Man is in favor of these college players being paid for their athletic prowess.

Universities are making too much damn money not to set up trust funds or retirement accounts for these players, so that when they are academically dismissed from these various universities after four years of player eligibility, they at least have something to show for all of their blood, sweat, and tears, besides memories and tee-shirts. As I stated earlier, this is a plantation system, based upon free labor put high output, which equals high financial gain for the plantation owner.  Many of these athletes would not even be at their respective universities were it not for their skill on the court, because academically they are not prepared to attend these institutions of higher learning, which leads to a discussion about unequal educational opportunities in America.  Add to that the pressure of sports at this level, and you have a match that is geared towards the student athlete losing.  Forget about the pros, because less than 5% will even get a tryout, let alone actually become a team member.

So, over the next few days as you yell and scream for your favorite team and check out your brackets and dream of how you are going to spend your pool winnings, think about the bigger situation of students earning money for colleges and not leaving the schools with degrees in hand, and no viable future career path.  Ask yourself what is more important; dribbling a basketball or having a college degree?  I am sure that you will agree with the Colored Man....it's better to have a college degree and be able to earn a good living and own a plantation, rather than to work for free on one.

TMI

The Colored Man has to confess that I am the biggest fan of reality television.  Just about all of the Real Housewives http://www.bravotv.com/, particularly Atlanta and New York.  Million Dollar Listings, The Matchmaker, Tabitha's Salon Treatment, and the list goes on and on.  I guess it's the voyeur in me that causes me to be glued to the television when this silly mess is playing.  I love Phaedra Parks from Real Housewives of Atlanta.  The Colored Man loves a woman who is smart, intelligent, has a Southern upbringing, and has no shame telling the world that she loves an ex-con named Apollo.  The majority of the people on any of the reality shows really have nothing to offer other than expensive shopping habits, potty mouths, public fights, plastic surgery, and alot of ego. 

The Basketball Wives on VH1http://www.vh1.com/, seems to offer the opportunity to view women whose proud claim to fame is making the rounds with pro basketball players.  None of them really work, but always have time for lunch, drinks, and public fights.

The one show that I am a bit envious of is, Millon Dollar Listings.  Those boys are making serious money selling bricks, and the Colored Man ain't mad at 'em.

It seems that I am not the only one who is addicted to this dribble.  Bravo Television has made a franchise out of the Real Housewives shows, with New Jersey, Orange County, Beverly Hills, New York, Atlanta, and now Miami, each offering pretty much the same scenario, just in different locations.  It seems that these rich and wanna-be rich women have no problem exposing every little sordid detail of their lives with people like you and I. Too much information is an understatement.

There are no boundaries that have not been filmed on any of these particular shows or any of the other 1,001 reality television shows that proliferate on cable television.  But it is not just television that offers the voyeur like myself the opportunity to peek into other worlds.  Facebook, YouTube, XTube and the rest have all allowed us to see without being seen.

Pamela Anderson seems to have started all of this public proclamation with her sex-tape with Tommy Lee.  Then along came Kim Kardashian who became famous for sleeping with Brandy's little brother Ray J, but has parlayed her sexcapades into a multi-million dollar pile of nothingness.

Now comes Chris Brown, the young, handsome, woman-beater who possesses limited singing capabilities.  Pictures intended for his girlfriend, have mysteriously made their way to the web, and for all of my fellow inquisitive minds, the Colored Man has included the infamous image for your edification.  For some readers this is a chance to see your heartthrob in full regalia, while others will have the chance to see how they stack up next to a celebrity.  In either case, do we really need to see all of this?



Of course not, but it is fun and a bit dirty, sitting in the comfort of your living room and being able to be just plain 'ole nosy.  And why not, when it seems that everyone is so enamored with blasting their information on Main Street, Front Street, and any and every other street.  I mean, no one asks for this stuff, it just shows up unexpectantly.

As Andy Warhol said, "everyone will have their 15 minutes of fame."  The Colored Man thinks that it is just unfortunate that some choose the wrong 15 minutes within the hour to garner that fame.

To Gay or Not to Gay? That is the Question

Recently someone who is one of my Facebook friends, posted an innocent little blurb saying that he didn't understand why men turn gay, and that with all of the women in the world to choose from he just couldn't understand why two men with hairy legs and two dicks would want  to lay in the bed together.  I say innocent, because I am quite sure that he meant no harm in his statement, and I know that perhaps he has not been exposed to divergent thought and opinions concerning the subject matter.  But the bigger issue with his statement, is that some people take this as an opportunity to showcase their hatred towards gays and lesbians, and this time was no different.

So the Colored Man could not let a chance go by to offer some enlightenment and the chance to encourage him to do some serious thought about gays and lesbians, and not to rely on locker room banter to form his opinions.  I countered back that people are born gay, just like people are born straight, and that I didn't think that anyone would chose to be gay, when you look at all of the hatred, violence, and disdain that gay people are subjected to.

"I agree brother! I do not think when a child is born they know at the age of 0-6 months that they are gay. That is something that they see or are taught. All in all, at the end of the day its an abomination to God. I am not trying to offend anyone, just not compromising with the enemy. God Speed!!! No sin is greater than the next, just calling a spade a spade!"  This was the response that came in immediately after my post.  Needless to say, the Colored Man just could not resist a good fight and thus began a back and forth exchange, that eventually caused the original poster to remove his post.

I firmly believe that each of us is entitled to our opinions about various issues.  After all, opinions are like assholes.....everybody has one.  But do not approach me with opinions and attitudes that are based on biblical words, when I know that the Bible has been used for centuries as a tool against people, and to justify negative attitudes and behavior.  Bring me information and opinions that are based on fact and scholarly research, not hate and bigotry that you gleaned from some screaming preacher on Sunday morning or from your home and environment.

Slavery in America was justified with quotes from the Bible.  Women being beaten by their husbands was justified with quotes from the Bible.  Gays and lesbians are beaten and killed daily because someone uses a Bible verse to justify their hatred.  All kinds of shit goes on because someone uses a Bible verse to say that it's okay.  When does the madness stop?

Let's look at her assinine statement.  First of all a baby doesn't know anything except when it's time to eat, and when it's time to sleep.  Is she saying that gay people are pedophiles who have sex with babies?  If so, the myth has been debunked long ago. So the absurdity of her statement is beyond belief.  Is this coming from someone who is college-educated, and supposedly working to obtain a PhD?  Her second sentence is just as crazy as the first.  Are there groups of gays and lesbians who work for some company that go around in a van and teach children how to have same-sex sex?  Or perhaps there are summer camps that specialize in teaching children how to be gay - the first day of camp young boys are given hands-on opportunities to learn how to suck a dick properly, and the girls are taught how to perform cunnilingus.  And of course they are given badges when they master each sex act, and told to go home and practice their newly learned skills as often as possible.  One question that I can't resist asking is, are heterosexual children taught how to have heterosexual sex, or is this just a special program for gay children?  Do not step to the Colored Man with such country, backwoods ignorance!!

Her references to the "enemy" are what all Bible-thumpers resort to when they seek to impose their non-sensical rhetoric.  If you don't agree with them, then you automatically become the "enemy."  In other words, we are at war, and when at war, enemies are killed, ie....gay people and their supporters.

Unfortunately, the African-American church has become one of the most homophobic, mysoginistic places in America.  Go to any church on a Sunday, and you will hear some of the most vile, hateful statements imaginable coming from the pulpit.  Make a homophobic statement during service, and the congregation just goes wild, as if they were at a rock concert and the headliner just hit the stage.  One of the pastors at my late mother's church once made the statement "that he didn't want any women up in his pulpit because they were nasty with their blood dripping".  Imagine the nerve and balls to say that, when 80% of your congregation is female, and they basically pay your salary.  Even worse is said about gays and lesbians.  Couldn't and shouldn't that time used to promote hate and intolerance be used to open up some food pantries, or offer after-school tutoring to neighborhood students, or something that uplifts rather than downgrades?  But that takes real effort, focus and work, while hate-filled words only take a tongue, teeth and a pair of lips.

As African-Americans we should be acutely aware of how discrimination and hatred work against people, or have we forgotten from whence we came?  As a race we have been denied, killed, hung, raped, tortured, whipped, jailed, beaten.  It seems that these same atrocities are okay for gay people, because after all, they choose to be gay, and our hate towards them is supported by the Bible.

Michael Eric Dyson, the noted scholar once served on a panel discussion during Tavis Smiley's now-defunct "State of Black America" conference.  The subject for that particular year's conference was the Black church, and this particular panel was focusing on women and gays and lesbians in the Black church.  Dr. Dyson who is part of the new order of black intelligentsia, is very outspoken, and one comment that he made has stuck with me.  He said," I can appreciate the rappers who call women bitches and other deragatory terms, because you know exactly where they are coming from, while in the Black church they don't call women names, they just treat them like bitches and whores."  How many gay men sit in church Sunday after Sunday, plunking on a piano or pumping an organ, and listen to speech after speech calling them abhorrent and an abomination?  All of this makes the Colored Man sick to his stomach.

If my PhD seeking friend had taken an opportunity to educate herself about gay and lesbian issues, she would find that homosexuality has been in cultures across the spectrum.  Native-Americans valued their fellow tribe-members who were gay, and considered them to have both "spirits" within them, and were revered in the culture.  Of course this all changed when the Great White Father came along, and forced his European value system on them.  The same thing can be seen in the Hispanic culture, until European colonization and the forceful conversion to Catholicism.  Most people may not be aware of this, but most African's brought to America on slave ships were Muslim.  This can be evidenced if you visit some of the South Carolina and Georgia islands, where you will see cemetery symbols and church practices directly connected to the Islamic faith.  African-American women are well-known for their "church hats," which is an interpretation of the Islamic practice of a woman keeping her hair covered when in public.  We have followed the Judeo-Christian religions without knowing what our own religious heritage is, and even worse, not taking the time to investigate and research our heritage.

In another post, my "thumper" said that she has gay friends, but they keep that part of themselves away from her.  Haven't we heard this before....."I have black friends" so I am not a racist.  I have gay friends, so I am not homophobic, but my gay friends just can't discuss their relationships with me, or invite me to a gay party or club.  They have to keep that stuff away from me.  Talk about being a hypocrite, this beats the band.  Why can't we all just accept people for who and what they are, and not but parameters on our relationships with them?  Thumper wants to be this high and holy persona, but she forgets that God loves her unconditionally, and who is she to love with conditions and barriers?, when God himself never mentioned one single word against homosexuality?

The whole back-and-forth ended with her calling me a dog and telling me that she no longer wanted to communicate with me, and that she would return the wedding present that I gave her, since I happened to mention that her etiquette was lacking, and that I received no type of thank you for my gift.  She said that I was being petty about the thank-you card, but petty will help me to purchase a flat-screen television!!!  So bring it on baby.  Just leave all of your hate and venom at the door.

Well, the Colored Man could go on and on about this, but I did learn a few things.  Sometimes it's best to just let ignorance speak for itself; sometimes a college education doesn't mean that a person is learned and able to present a legitimate argument; and that sometimes you just have to speak out and confront bigotry and hatred head-on, whether it's coming from friend, family or foe.

Last Sunday I went to see a video-feed of the Broadway musical Fela, which is about the life and times of Fela Keti, the Nigerian singer/musician and political activist.  One of the last lines from him in the musical asks the question, "Whose coffin are you willing to carry?"

The Colored Man asks you the same question.

The Sphinx Awakens

An Egyptian Sphinx cat

Hello folks!!!  So much has been going on in the world that the Colored Man is dumbfounded, well almost, at least.  Where do I begin.........

It seems that the sphinx has risen in Egypt.  The people are tired of being tired, and decided to rise up and say, "no more."  Last week when it all began, I checked out Al Jazeera on-line.  I was very surprised at the English version - this is not the syrupy news program that we Americans are used to.  The reporters ask hard questions, and have no problem letting people know that they did not answer the questions posed.  I also attempted to contact an Egyptian living in the United States, so that I could get a better understanding of how conditions are for Egyptians, but no one responded, however, I have had hits on the blog from Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, and Turkey, so perhaps someone from one of those countries will contact me.  I hope so.

One thing that the Colored Man has noticed about the protestors in Egypt, is that many of them look very similar to people that the Colored Man knows here in the States.  Familiar skin tones, hair textures, full lips and noses.  In relation, I have noticed that the people in power are lighter skinned Egyptians, and seem to have a much looser, straighter hair texture, and thinner lips and noses.  Hosni Mubarak's daughter-in-law, Khadija-Mona looks sun-kissed, blonde European.  His son Gamal looks Latin-heartthrob, while his other son, Ala'a is a dead-ringer for Jon Hamm from the televison show, Mad Men.  Is it just me?  Have you noticed the same thing?  Today, while leaving work, I heard a story on National Public Radio, that confirmed my suspicions.  It seems that the darker Egyptian tribes have been relegated to second-class citizenry.  But as we all know, things in Egypt have changed.

Hosni Mubarek has resigned and is esconsed in his seaside villa in Sharm El-Sheikh, while his billions stashed in Swiss bank accounts have been frozen.  So I guess he will have to do with his million dollar pocket change.  Rumors are swirling that he has suffered a stroke, but one thing is for sure.  He is no longer president of the Republic of Egypt.  The Colored Man is truly amazed that these people think that they can pass power down to their offspring, similar to an heirloom chair or table.  They view their homelands as places of business, whose sole purpose is to make themselves, their family members and trusted friends rich.  Damn the citizenry, many who are literally starving to death.

America has always portrayed itself as the beacon of freedom and democracy around the world.  But the beacon seems to be dim when it comes to these tyrannical leaders in the Middle East.  America seems to be blinded by the sand, and turns a blind eye towards the atrocities that are committed.  In fact, these atrocities against people are encouraged - Egypt was the go-to country for getting information by any means necessary from kidnapped people who had suspected ties to Islamic terrorists.  But the terror was also allowed due to Egypt's hands-off relationship with Israel.  But will this continue, now that Mubarak has gone?  Perhaps the hens are coming home to roost, as Reverend Jeremiah Wright put it.

Will Jordan continue to imprison citizens who speak badly of the royal family?  Will Saudi Arabia continue to entertain its citizens with public beheadings, and the stoning of women?, will they work on labor issues in a country that is wealthy beyond measure?, but where 44% of its college-educated men are unemployed, and 88% of its college-educated women are unemployed.  Some of the autocrats have tried to get a jump-start before things get out of hand, and have made some limited reforms, but so much more needs to be done.

The prologue of this play has been thrilling, and Act I promises to be just as exciting.  The sphinx has risen, and he is tired to laying around.  The Colored Man predicts that this theatrical production will be a traveling show, sure to hit many desert stages.

Dinner for Eight

Last Sunday evening the Colored Man hosted a little get-together for a few friends at his new "villa-ette."  It had been awhile since I had entertained, so I was really excited tht everything go wll.  Of course, to me the most important aspectsof entertaining is the right mix of people and the food.  Both of them were in perfect order.  The food was especially different and quite international; Jewish tomato and cabbage soup, a last-minute Asian-inspired soup with good old Ramen noodles, fresh American ham and turkey sandwiches on artisanal bread, and salad.  Desserts were global as well, featuring English trifle, German Black Forest cake, Belgian chocolates, and a delicious blueberry coffee-cake type confection.

There were lots of laughs, and everyone really enjoyed the showing of Cabin in The Sky, the great Vincente Minelli directed movie featuring Ethel Waters, Lena Horne, and Eddie Rochester, with Louis Armstrong as one of the devil's minions, and Duke Ellington and his band.  After the movie, the conversation turned to New Age religions, angels, and people who can communicate with the spirits, which I really do believe in, even though some people would say that it is part of the devil's world.

Overall, the evening was a great success, and plans are being made for the next soiree at someone else's house.  Many years ago Donna Summer, the disco queen sang that she wanted to have dinner with Gershwin.  That got the Colored Man to thinking, who would he want to have dinner with?  Someone who changed history, been inspirational, a leader, or someone with some type of notoriety-good or bad?  Planning for this event is right down the Colored Man's alley; I do love a great and grand celebration!!!

I'm thinking that I wouldn't want to have this dinner indoors, but rather outside in a field, perhaps at a beautiful country estate, surrounded by all types of fauna and flora.  Fresh flowes and lots of candles would adorn the table, along with fresh bowls of seasonal fruit.  Dinner would have to be prepared by chefs who have an appreciation for sustainable agriculture and be well-versed in farm-to-table culinary practices.  Maybe Tabari Campbell, sous chef at the White House for the savory foods, and Gale Gund, co-owner of Tru in Chicago, as pastry chef.  The menu would be multi-coursed, and would definitely have to focus on American regional foods.  And I think that a full bar is in order as well, with wines paired with each course.  (As a side note, did you know that until Bill and Hilary Clinton entered the White House, French cuisine was served at State dinners?  With all of the American culinary traditions, you would think that that would not have been the case, but it was.)

Entertainment would consist of someone tinkling the ivories, and a small combo for after dinner, in case someone wanted to "cut the rug".

Now comes the really hard part.....trying to figure out 8 people to invite to this dinner.  Some names just pop up like rockets.....Barack Obama, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - imagine their conversations over a good cigarette, while others really cause me to think about who would be someone that I would just love to meet.  Josephine Baker - international star, who at one point received over 10,000 fan letters a day, Toni Morrison, Duke Ellington, Lena Horne, August Wilson, and George Gershwin.  There are several names on the list that could be removed, but there are three that are a must-keep. 

Any good party must have the right mix of people, who may not have anything in common, but at a minimum, common interest in intelligent conversation and good times.  Of course with this hallowed imaginery group, one must think about things such as who will sit to the host's right, and left, and all of that minutaea which can really bog one down.

Just as last Sunday brought a diverse group of people together who are leaders within their own right, this imaginary dinner will bring together people who I feel have also changed history.  But everytime people get together it changes history, blossoms new friendships, new understandings, and new memories.  It's not really about the food, the flowers, or any of those mundane things.  It's all about the people, conversations, hearty laughs, building relationships, and just enjoying life.

Cheers!

The Colored Man

Dandy, Dandified, Dandification



Nick Cannon, a modern-day dandy.  Notice the three-piece suit.



Matt Lauer, a daily fashion must-see.  Light-blue shirt, and very simple, understated cufflinks.


The Colored Man loves fashion and stylish people.  My father gave me a great example to follow, and to this day, he always turns out very nicely dressed.  In the 50+ years that I have known him, I have never seen him wear jeans, shorts, sweatpants or athletic-type pants, sneakers, baseball caps, or anything else that might not be considered stylish.  My father comes from a time period when men dressed in the manner that they wanted to be perceived in.  His generation of colored men dressed elegantly in an effort to shield themselves from the wolves that they had to face when they went out into the world.  They viewed dressing as a way of representing the greater African-American race, and perhaps it's a mind-set that we need to revisit.

Clothes truly do make the man, or at the least, announce the man to the world.  The past few weeks I have been searching for a pair of brown dress shoes.  It seems impossible to find them.  Brown is not a big color in men's suiting, and went out of style when some presidental candidate made the comment "beware of the man in the brown suit," about 70 years ago.  Ronald Reagan brought the brown suit back into vogue during his reign in the White House.  Much to every fashion follower's disappointment, Barack Obama has not proven to be a fashion-setter like his wife, but he has brought flip-flops to the attention of people.  But please be aware, flip-flops are a podiatrists' nightmare, or maybe I should say dream, because if you wear them often, eventually you will end up in their office with foot or bone damage.   The President looks good in his clothes, but imagine what a little tailoring, and a different suit cut could do for someone with his height and leanness?

I did find some brown Ferragamo's, but as with alot of men's fashion, they are made with a European slant; men with long, narrow feet.  The Colored Man has low-arches, so the Ferragamo's look good on my foot when I am sitting down, but the minute that I stand up, the spread out around the ankles like butter on hot bread.  Of course, I have found a few pair of brown shoes, but the price point is a little bit out of my range, but I have been known to suffer for the sake of fashion, and purchasing them will put the Colored Man on a whole nutha' level of fashion.

Recently, I attended an event with some friends.  I wore a grey flannel suit with side-vents, a purple checked shirt which I had shipped overnight(and believe me getting that shirt is a story unto itself), brown suede shoes, and a pocket square that picked up the purple, grey and brown.  I thought that I was looking sharp, but it's always good to hear it from someone else's lips.  This particular suit must be a winner, because the first time that I wore it, a male business colleague told me that I looked sexy!!!  The whole scene was interesting, and the Colored Man never turns down a compliment, but it would have been better if it came from someone that I would've wanted that particular compliment to come from.

I love mixing colors and patterns, and putting stuff together simply because I think that it looks good.  I am a gender-bender, and have purchased ladies socks because I liked the pattern, and it is extremely hard to find exciting men's socks.  Sometimes a pop of color at the foot, just gives an outfit that added bump.  I get excited thinking about my outfit before an event, and will lay everything out on the bed to make sure it's worthy of the Colored Man.  Shoes have to be polished, and top hat ready to go.

Now, there are rules that I follow when dressing, and advise others to follow.  Here we go.....

1.  T-shirts underneath shirts during the summer.  Especially dress shirts-nothing looks worse than a shirt plastered to someone's sweaty back.
2.  No socks with sandals.
3.  Use an iron - you should not step out of your house with clothes that are wrinkled.  There is no excuse for this faux pas.  It looks down-right tacky and "bamaly".
4.  Buy quality.  Don't be afraid to purchase items at high-end stores and boutiques.  Particularly when they have a sale.  Mix price-points.
5.  Set the trend.  Don't follow the trend.
6.  Wear all black occasionally.
7.  Black, brown, navy blue, red, orange shirts do not look good with suits, however, white, lite blue, pale pink look great, and preferably with French cuffs.
8.  Sweaters - cashmere, cashmere, cashmere!!!!!!!
9.  Get rid of stuff - if it is not couture and possibly vintage and collectible, it is not worth anything, so take it to Goodwill and free up space in your closet for new items.
10.  Read men's fashion magazines and blogs for information and inspiration.  Use the internet to shop.
11.  Know what looks good on you and what doesn't.  The same idea goes for colors-know which ones work, and which ones don't.
12.  Shop with a keen eye at discount stores.  There is a reason that they exist and the buyer has to always be aware.
13. Have at least one dark suit in your closet, and one summer fabric suit in your closet.
14.  Wear evening shoes with a tuxedo.

Before I end, I feel that it is my duty to give you a heads up on the trends for Men Spring 2011.  Look for flared jeans-no more of those skinny jeans where you need an ass about as wide as a pencil to wear, and another trend to be on the lookout for is motorcycle jackets crafted in very lightweight, buttery leather.  Now, while you are looking out for these trends, I will continue to search for a pair of brown dress shoes, and we will meet somewhere in the aisle of a good men's clothing store.

The Colored Man
Thecoloredman@gmail.com
coloredm@yahoo.com

Dave Patania, Start Counting!!!!

The Colored Man came to a realization the other day.  Well, actually not a realization, just cold hard facts.  I am morbidly obese.  This is something that I have known for quite some time, but it really hits hard when it's staring you in the face in black and white print.  Being morbidly obese means that I face diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and host of other maladies that a healthier person might not face.  To compound the issue, I also have the fact that I am the Colored Man, which puts me at a higher risk than other groups, and some of these health issues run in my family.

As I stated earlier, this is not new to me.  I have had an unhealthy relationship with food for quite some time.  It's gotten worse in the past few years.  And the time has come to kick this relationship to the curb.  With that in mind, I hooked up with an old friend by the name of Dave Pataniahttp://www.davepatania.wordpress.com/.  I had met Dave a number of years ago, when I got on the fitness bandwagon and saw great results working with him and his trusty assistant, Ms. Amy.  Dave is a noted fitness/health expert who has a personality that can be loud and abrasive at times, and quiet and encouraging the next when he is training you.  He is a little bit of Jillian and Bob from The Biggest Loser.

Dave and I starting meeting at the gym once-a-week to work out.  Of course, it had been some time since the Colored Man had worked out and after our first session I was quite sore, but ready to keep going.  I remember the first day that we got together.  Dave had been talking stuff all week, "I'm going to have you crying," "I can't wait to kill you," and other pieces of trash.  He even started purposely mispronouncing my name, giving it an extra long e sound - typical jock boy stuff.  One of his funniest bon mots was when he told me, "I am not going to be your cabana boy and count reps for you."  Those of you who know me really well, know that I have a penchant for nicknames, so that little speech earned him a nickname.

Dave also gave me a meal plan which consisted of five meals per day, starting with oatmeal and egg whites in the morning, and ending with chicken or fish, a small salad, and baked white or sweet potato for dinner.  I also had to focus and give up sodas, and hamburgers, and other fattening, unhealthy foods.  The Colored Man must be honest, and tell you that I did not do the egg whites for breakfast, as I just didn't have time in the morning for all that.  I also found that for me to stay on pointe, I needed to prepare as much food at one time as I possibly could, because if it was not readily available, then all hell would break loose, and I would begin to resort back to old habits.

Working out with Dave was always fun.  It was something that I looked forward to every Saturday or Sunday.  I knew that he was really helping me out, when he didn't have to.  I wanted to make sure that he saw how serious I was about reaching my goals.  We talked about different things and shared private stuff with each other, and of course, he talked "smack" and I gave it back to him, word for word.  He always found it interesting that when I got to about the tenth or so rep, I would always want to stop, particularly with upper-body exercises. Shit, my damn arms would be burning.  Eventually, I kinda learned how to embrace the burn and keep going.  And occasionally I would surprise him, like the time I did 30 minutes straight on the StairMaster.  I love the StairMaster!!!!  Dave continued to have this fantasy that he was going to make me cry, and I had my fantasy that he was going to count reps for me.

But all good things come to an end.

Dave got offered a job in the Northwest and decided to move.  At first, I was really pissed, and thought what am I going to do?  One day Dave wrote something on his blog and it really hit home.  I realized that I had been using him as a crutch, and that the power was really within me to reach my fitness goals.  But even still, it's been somewhat hard to stay focused when you don't have someone encouraging and pushing you.  I say that I can stay focused, but on the other hand I know that I need somebody behind me with a stick to get my ass moving.  It just won't be Dave Patania with the stick!, and all his mouth,  but I still can get inspiration from him through his blog at http://www.davepatania.wordpress.com/.

Be warned, that he is NOT going to count reps for you, but he will give you some good information, like "it's about the work, not the talk."

By the way, the Colored Man has lost 20 pounds, and looking forward to the next 20.

The Colored Man
Thecoloredman@gmail.com
Coloredm@yahoo.com