Stop Cursing

With the disclaimer that I am certainly not the one to lecture on the subject, I don’t like cursing. Yes, occasionally some four-letter words fall out of my mouth. This is usually in the company of very close friends, not too flagrant, and never in public or around elders. Growing up, I remember cursing (or [...]

On Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

All one can say is wow.  And similar to the O.J. Simpson verdict, your point of view is likely colored by the color of your skin. For every white guy celebrating our “post-racial” society there is a black man with a “driving while black” story. If that wasn’t enough, President Obama’s remarks on the subject [...]

A Belated Thank You: E. Lynn Harris

I remember reading my first E. Lynn Harris book, Just As I Am, in college. Color me shocked and wanting to put the blinders back on. E. Lynn Harris opened my eyes to a world I didn’t even know existed!   And I hated him for it. There it began, the “eyes wide open” outing of [...]

This Week in Washington: July 27, 2009

The White House: The President continues his push to get Congress to pass health care reform. In his weekly address, President Obama discussed how the health care reform proposals in Congress factor in the impact it will have on small businesses. This week, President Obama will meet with the Chinese, welcome the 2009 WNBA champion [...]

The Week That Was: blackgirlgrown on Twitter

Seems counter intuitive –> Fast Food Diet Tips http://viigo.im/0hHj # Uh oh. President Obama's Wednesday press conference moved up to 8 pm – Will CNN air Black America 2 or cover the press conference? # Damn, damn, damn. Reading –> Henry Louis Gates Jr. Arrest: Polie Recommend Dropping Charge http://viigo.im/0iti # Is it even permissable [...]

Tracing our Family History and African Ancestry

President and First Lady Obama’s recent trip to Ghana magnified our collective African ancestry. Visiting the Door of No Return, President Obama remarked on the stirring emotion created in the stark contrasts of then and now. Shortly thereafter, the revolting news of grave robbers raiding Chicago’s historic Burr Oak Cemetery and the initial belief of a [...]

Are Health Food Stores Healthy?: Hmm, Not So Much

The extent of my health food store shopping begins and ends at Whole Foods – and that’s really only because they’ve got really great produce. That is my minor contribution to “living green.” But I’ve never approached shopping at Whole Foods or Trader Joes as an endeavor to eat/buy health food. And given a recent [...]

Affirmative Action: For How Much Longer?

An interesting opinion piece appeared in Monday’s New York Times on affirmative action, and how much longer it can justifiably exist.  First, some background The term and policy of affirmative action originated in the 1960s.  Mandated by President John F. Kennedy in March 1961 by executive order, the policy mandated “affirmative action to ensure that [...]

100 Years: Reflections on the Relevance of the NAACP

DeWayne Wickham: Anyone who pays serious attention to race relations in this country knows Jim Crow was replaced by Jim Crow Jr. Jim Crow was an abrasive, in-your-face brand of racism. White vigilantism and race-baiting politicians were its most obvious manifestations. Jim Crow Jr. is a kinder, gentler form of racism. It’s the bigotry of [...]

Shut Up and Drive

Call it self-rightousness, call it the “pot calling the kettle black,” or call it indignancy. But we never seem to realize when we ourselves are committing the egregious offense of talking, texting, Blackberrying while driving. Of course, we would also deny that we were distracted in the slightest. Its always the “other guy.” Even with [...]

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