thatblackgirlblogging

That Black Girl Blogging On the Move

Hi Everyone,
I have some great news. That Black Girl Blogging is growing and moving to a new space. Starting next week, you can find my posts on thatblackgirlsite.com. My blog name hasn't changed but the environment has, I am joined there by five contributors who are blogging about everything from relationships to hair care—all with us in mind. I am just as excited about myblackgirlsite.com, the social network I've created that will allow you to share your thoughts and ideas.I am extending my personal invitation to you to become a member. This is just the start of that black girl revolution.
Corynne

Fantasia, You Worry Me Girl...

There was a time when I watched American Idol like every other crazed fan. But I gave up that addiction a few seasons back, right after Carrie Underwood won. That's when I realized that I was never going to see another black girl (or man) take the prize. I missed Fantasia's return last night but I did catch it on You Tube. Y'all it scared me a little bit. The hair, the makeup, the nails and the performance were off the chain (and I'm not sure in a good way).

Fantasia is being true to herself I guess but my problem is that I couldn't even understand the lyrics she was singing. And I won't comment on the dancing either. But my concern is that she doesn't have adequate guidance or management. It looks to me like she's making these less than flattering choices herself. (Like disappointing countless fans with her series of no-shows during her run in The Color Purple.) And those are precisely the reasons her star will not ascend as high as it should.

There is a marked difference in style and demeanor between the Fantasia who won Idol a few years back and the one we see today. How can we help this sister get on the right track? She's certainly got a beautiful voice but she just doesn't seem to have it together. Here's what I am talking about: Let's go to the videotape.

">Fantasia on Idol in 2008

">Fantasia sings Baby Mama...

">Fantasia in the finals singing "I Believe"

The Reluctant Members of The Black Girl's Club

Today I was at an event at my niece's school and of the 75 people gathered, there was only one other sister in the yard. We sat a row apart for two hours, she didn't even acknowledge that I was there. No eye contact, no nod and definitely no 'how are you?' Of course, everyone around her spoke while she sat silent. I find this both annoying and sad when these things happen (and they don't happen very often). Three things go through my mind: either they don't think they're black, they don't want to be seen talking to another sister or they're mad because they want to be the 'only one.'

Now I know that there is no 'official' black girl's club but I think a lot of us have gotten to the point that we are happy to see someone who looks like us in successful circles or unlikely places. One of my friends lived in Italy for years and would become elated every time she saw a black American that she'd stop to talk to them. Once, while traveling in Finland for about 10 days a brother yelled out across the plaza "Hey, I know you're (black) American!" But the connections don't always happen with strangers, they can also occur in your working life as well. When I first started out working in the beauty department of Elle, the only other black woman in the room was usually Mikki Taylor from Essence. Never mind that overzealous junior publicists automatically assumed I was Mikki when I appeared at the door. It was obvious she had been the only one for a long time. Yet she offered sage advice when we spoke and that knowing glance from across the room. A few years later, when there were a few more of us at those events we'd happily grab a table and sit together. Maybe that's why it is so hard for me to understand these silent sisters. They just don't know what they're missing out on when they stand alone.
">Whitney Houston Exhale

Rihanna's Cute But Can She Really Sing?

Rihanna is Elle's cover girl for June and it is the second time the magazine has featured her in a year. Back in the day, when I worked at the magazine, they always believed that putting a black woman on the cover would mean death at the newsstand. That thinking hasn't really gone away but maybe being an "It" girl helps—even for a black girl. And Rihanna's definitely an "It" girl.

The Bajan beauty popped on the scene 3 years ago but caught fire last year with that little ditty (as my grandmother used to say) "Umbrella." It is still a catchy song but is it a career maker? Will folks be playing it 20 years from now? And if I went to see her in concert would she be singing to a track while dazzling me with dance moves? I saw Amerie once and she was dancing so hard that she actually forgot to sing at times. I also caught a bit of Ciara's act at The Essence Music Festival last year and the only thing I remember about her performance was her dancing. But I digress...

I believe in this age where appearance is paramount and videos do so much to sell artists, Rihanna is hot because she is easy on the eyes. Fans want to look like her, dress like her who cares if she can really sing.
I do. And it makes me wonder whether an artist like say, Stephanie Mills, would have had a chance if she were released today. Stephanie's power was, and still is in her voice, but her looks were more average than knock-out. Then again, a good stylist can do wonders for even an average-looking sister. Real singers still get signed today, but they don't share the same kind of success as those elevated to style icon. Chrisette Michelle has promise but I have a feeling she is going to end playing the small venues instead of the arenas. And wouldn't it be a powerful thing if the words of India.Arie resonated just as much as Beyonce. I say, why can't they have it all too.
">Rihanna's Umbrella

">Stephanie Mills "Home"

Chrisette Michelle "If I Had My Way"

A Real Life Akeelah and The Bee ( With The Birds Thrown In Too)

There's good news about a black woman in The Washington Post. And she's not famous either. Ashley White will graduate from Howard University this weekend magna cum laude and it was no small feat. You see, White was a teenager mother and also homeless. That's nice, you might say, but so what? She was also the subject of a documentary called Spellbound when she was an ambitious middle school student competing in The Scripps National Spelling Bee back in 1999.

So what turns an ambitious young girl with a photographic memory into a sister with a baby fighting to keep a roof over her head at 18? I am not sure but White's detour is not so unusual when it comes to young black women. Many of them struggle with the desire to be smart or popular. And sometimes, even the smart girls get sidetracked when they are sheltered too much. They have more book smarts than street smarts. And often they may not be savvy enough to resist the "please, baby, baby, please..." pleas of a fine or sweet talking brother.

I'm not saying that's White story. Thinking about her makes me realize that we need to expand our thinking about who exactly is "at risk." Often we are looking at those struggling in school, having problems at home or those beyond a certain economic level. But the truth is that smart girls and good girls can be vulnerable too. So let's nurture all of our little sisters to greatness.

Retro Thinking in a Modern Age

One thing became clear to me during this brouhaha involving Senator Barack Obama and the Reverend Jeremiah Wright—there's some throwback thinking afoot. Remember when the thoughts, appearance and actions of a black man or woman stood as THE example for the entire black race? Well at least it seemed that way. Because in our parents and grandparents generations everyone thought it was a good thing to be "a credit to his or her race" or a "good race man or woman." Of course we also called ourselves Negro or colored too. We may no longer use those words but their history and meaning are buried in our bones. And the remnants of those attitudes pop up at the most interesting times, like during this election campaign. Now however, this retro thinking is creating some polarizing and pitiful results.

The Civil Rights Movement was a galvanizing moment for us, where we fought for respect and our rights. Leaders emerge who could speak for the masses but even then some of our folks were saying "he or she doesn't speak for me." But because we all needed and deserved so much there was still a fair amount of unity around the message as well as leaders who emerged at the forefront. Forty years later progress has come more easily for some of us than others and that has created a great divide in both ideology, attitudes and actions.

Somehow the unspoken truth is that we are still judging folks by whether they speak for us or not. By whether they're a credit or an embarrassment to our people. By whether they're black enough. That's nothing but retro thinking in a modern age. Sharpe James and Kwame Kilpatrick make some of us want to hide in shame. Others see them as cocky individuals who can't embarrass us as a people but they can embarrass themselves. Kwame is especially unbelievable. (While the woman involved with them will pay the ultimate price--jail time, shame, career ruin--but that's another story entirely.)

We are probably going to have to rethink the whole march thing too since a call for one doesn't automatically equal a collective rallying cry anymore. Let's face it, Al Sharpton doesn't speak for everyone either. Different leaders will have to be effective for different constituencies. And maybe, just maybe, somewhere down the line they will all work together toward a common goal that will benefit all black folks despite their beliefs. But first they'd have to check their egos at the door.

Angela Bassett Agrees to Play Doctor Until the End

When I heard the news that Angela Bassett would be joining ER this fall I had mixed emotions. First, I am glad that this sister has a steady gig. There aren't a lot of movie or television roles for a black woman about to turn fifty. Yeah, I know that Meet the Browns has made over 40 million at box office to date but that role as well as some of her other recent turns are a long way from What's Love Got to Do With It, Waiting to Exhale or even How Stella Got Her Groove Back. But part of me is sad because of the timing. ER is going into its last year. Truthfully, I thought the show was already off the air. I know I stopped watching it at least four or five years ago. Do you know anyone who watches it? Is there even an original cast member left?

Angela is being charged with breathing new life into a show long past its prime. But can she keep ER interesting for over twenty episodes? I think that's a tall order for even this talented Oscar winner. But I am sure she will give it her theatrical best. (I will never forget her turn as Lady MacBeth at The Public Theater in New York some years back--totally over the top!) And that's why I will cheer her on even if I can't bring myself to tune in to this lifeless show beyond her debut.

Fade to Black, Literally

The web is breathing new life into the golden age of television. At least that is what The New York Times is saying. Sites like Hulu, Joost and Veoh are getting a lot of buzz and traffic because they are streaming both new and old shows online for free. Sounds great, right? Well, not for us. Many of their archives go back 50 years but none of our shows are among them.

Why you might ask? It is doubtful that they are available. It seems that the film canisters documenting many of our early shows from the 50s and 60s weren't stored very well. Guess no one thought they were valuable. As a result, there are only snippets of show like Beulah (which ran for years with three different stars) and perhaps a handful of complete episodes.

I am not sure I want to sit down and watch Hattie McDaniel, Ethel Waters or Louise Beavers playing the wise-cracking role but it would be nice to have the option. Especially because we know that they did everything they could to rise above the material available.

I am more troubled that the shows that came after Beulah aren't available via these venues either. Not even A Man Called Hawk featuring the awesome Avery Brooks. (Believe me I checked). And what about those once in a blue moon miniseries like Backstairs at the White House or Sister, Sister (not the series) the movie that was actually written by Maya Angelou and starred Diahann Carroll, Rosalind Cash and Irene Cara. (Yes, I am a font of trivia). It would be great to click on a site and see them clashing in a time warp. Because it has definitely been a minute since we've seen a perky Irene Cara (except for the annual airing of Sparkle on BET). Seriously, is a whole body of work by talented African American actors and actresses going to be lost in the digital age?
I guess Irene might want to change the lyrics of "Fame" to "maybe you'll remember my name."

">Leave it to Bealuh">Intro for the '50s tv series The Beulah Show

Injustice, Dignity and Destiny: Why Nicole Paultre Bell Must Carry On

I can't say I was totally shocked, surprised and stunned when the three police officer accused of gunning down Sean Bell on the morning of his wedding were acquitted this morning. We've seen this before and we'll see it again before long. And that will never make it right. However, because the victim of these crimes is often a brother, there is usually a black woman (his significant other/wife, mother, grandmother) left behind to pick up the shattered pieces of her life as well as those of her children. Nicole Paultre Bell is living this nightmare and unfortunately for her it is far from over. Of course she is distraught after hearing the verdict but she doesn't have the luxury of falling apart forever. In the long-run she must choose both how to keep Sean Bell's memory alive and the way she is going to live her life moving forward.

I was reminded of this earlier in the week when The New York Times profiled two Newark women, Delores Timmons and Shalgam Hightower, whose lives have been drastically changed by the senseless violence resulting in the deaths of their loved ones.

Hightower's daughter, Iofemi, was one of the bright college-bound students killed execution style in a Newark park last summer. Timmons' grandson, Gary Farrar, Jr. was a recent college graduate and victim of a random drive-by shooting right in front of his home. Prior to the first incidence the women, who live on the same block, didn't know each other but now have formed a friendship with too much in common. They have been on this earth a few decades longer than Paultre Bell so they know moving forward is mandatory and they do so with purpose. It honors the memory of those who have been lost.

After Paultre Bell has the chance to take this all in and weigh her legal options (like federal charges and perhaps a civil suit!) she can begin to take those first bold but tentative steps forward too. Because even in the face of injustice she can keep her dignity as part of her destiny.

What's Up With Juanita Bynum?

This morning as I was leaving the house I heard an interview between Steve Harvey & Company with Judge Lynn Toler, you know the one who took Judge Mableen's place on Divorce Court. Well she was on the show to promote a special two-art episode that will air Thursday and Friday where Televangelist Juanita Bynum comes on the show to seek a dissolution of her marriage to Bishop Thomas Weeks III. But the thing is, I am not sure that her husband is even in the courtroom. (His attorney says their real mediation is scheduled for May 13th). So if there is a mediation scheduled, why the need to be on Divorce Court ? A need for publicity perhaps?

If you've been living under a rock you don't know the story, but here it is just in case: last summer Weeks attacked Bynum in the parking lot of an Atlanta hotel. Battered and bruised she held a press conference and mentioned that because she's been a victim of domestic violence this would be her new platform. Then came the two-part interview in Essence (complete with cover story). And then she was silent, sort of. Then last month, Weeks pleaded guilty to the charge and received three years probation. But the story didn't end there. Rumors of text messages between them in which she said she still loves him were rampant. Now comes her very public television divorce (before a real one happens).

Bynum may believe that she is doing this to be an example to women in the same situation. And the message to get out of dangerous situations and seek help is powerful. I think it would be more compelling, however, if she were telling it from a healed position. Are we to believe that she is already healed? If not, her actions are akin to inviting the world in to watch your open heart surgery with no anesthesia.

Maybe I am biased because I didn't jump on the Bynum bandwagon from jump street. I am always concerned when the messenger outshines the message. (The same reason that I won't attend a church that makes you stand on line to get in like you're at a concert.) However, she did sway me a bit last summer when I heard her speak at the Essence Music Festival. But I do remember her talking about her skin care and cosmetics lines and it gave me pause. Still, I even bought her CD. Later, I gave her the benefit of the doubt when those You Tube videos featuring snippets of her sermons began circulating. One of them focused on her telling her audience they needed $500 pens. (Remember how Jeremiah Wright came across in a sound bite.) But somewhere between the Festival and now, she lost me.I decided she really wasn't my cup of tea but may be an effective trumpet for a specific audience. But right now I can't help but look at her sideways anyway because this Divorce Court appearance seems suspect to me. Tell me, am I missing something here? And if any of you watch these shows please let a sister know what you think. As you know I have become reality adverse and that's exactly what this seems to be.