We Collect Inspiration: Sonia Sotomayor

b.k.a. "Sonia from the block":

Who am I? I am a “Newyorkrican.” For those of you on the West Coast who do not know what that term means: I am a born and bred New Yorker of Puerto Rican-born parents who came to the states during World War II.

Like many other immigrants to this great land, my parents came because of poverty and to attempt to find and secure a better life for themselves and the family that they hoped to have. They largely succeeded. For that, my brother and I are very grateful. The story of that success is what made me and what makes me the Latina that I am. The Latina side of my identity was forged and closely nurtured by my family through our shared experiences and traditions.

For me, a very special part of my being Latina is the mucho platos de arroz, gandoles y pernir - rice, beans and pork - that I have eaten at countless family holidays and special events. My Latina identity also includes, because of my particularly adventurous taste buds, morcilla, — pig intestines, patitas de cerdo con garbanzo — pigs’ feet with beans, and la lengua y orejas de cuchifrito, pigs’ tongue and ears. I bet the Mexican-Americans in this room are thinking that Puerto Ricans have unusual food tastes. Some of us, like me, do. Part of my Latina identity is the sound of merengue at all our family parties and the heart wrenching Spanish love songs that we enjoy. It is the memory of Saturday afternoon at the movies with my aunt and cousins watching Cantinflas, who is not Puerto Rican, but who was an icon Spanish comedian on par with Abbot and Costello of my generation. My Latina soul was nourished as I visited and played at my grandmother’s house with my cousins and extended family. They were my friends as I grew up. Being a Latina child was watching the adults playing dominos on Saturday night and us kids playing loteria, bingo, with my grandmother calling out the numbers which we marked on our cards with chick peas.

This is actually from Maegan la Mala Ortiz's blog post over at VivirLatino. Read the entire thing please--here.

I will admit some concern over her shadowy stance on abortion. Guess we will have to see how that one plays out...

We Collect Inspiration: Michelle Obama

Duh. We are so late on this.

As if we need a reason. But here is mine:

"And as I grew up and came to work in those places, right, and got to know them, I realized that the misunderstanding or the disconnect goes both ways — that folks outside of these communities have no idea what goes on within these institutions, and sometimes the people in the institutions have no real understanding of the people who live outside. You know, everybody is dealing in these misperceptions about one another because there is no bridge.

And I just feel like through the small things that we can do here at the White House, we can start exemplifying the importance of building those bridges, in real meaningful ways, so that when you come — when young people come here, they don't have to come here and be something they're not. They can come here and be who they are, and the folks here will listen. And we can go out and be ourselves and listen in their communities as well."

Read the rest of the interview with Time here.

Summer Reading Lists

Ok, ok. Back to the positivity.

Inspired by various other lists (Luis and the Summer Music Playlist, the Kitchen Table, those who are comping around me) I'm sending out this call for books (CFB) to read this summer.

I already have a few in mind:
Annette Gordon-Reed, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family (which just got the Pulitzer)
Ellen Johnson Sirleaf's memoir This Child Will be Great
Mara and Diouf, ed. New Perspectives on Islam in Africa

At some point I will catch upon the L.A. Banks' Vampire Huntress series, start David Anthony Durham's Acacia series and finish Octavia Butler's Patternmaster quartet.

Add your summer books here as the spirit moves you.

If you are interested in doing some kind of virtual BBG book club, I am down. If you are interested in joining the Uhura black sci-fi/fantasy book club give Quirky Black Girls a yell.

Anonymous Letter to Your Haters

I know we deal in positivity in the Common Room but I HAD to re-post this. From a Facebook friend (who will remain anonymous unless they decide to make the claim):

Attention: Haters
Subject: Your Life

It occurred to me that last night (and most nights) you got dressed, put on make-up, cute clothes and stilettos (you looked really nice, btw) took a mode of transportation and somehow ended up in the same location with me, THEN made a conscious decision to sit on the wall (or stand in the middle of the floor, whatev), drinkless, not dancing and mean mugging me and my girls. I'm saddened that no one offered to buy you any drinks and based on that ugly face you were making indicating that you weren't having a good time, I'll assume you didn't budget properly to buy your own.

I feel so sorry for you since you clearly didn't have anywhere else to go (there was no cover, if you're weren't feeling it, you know you could've left right?) and you didn't have anything else to do except watch me and my peeps enjoy ourselves.

At the culmination of this memo, I'd like you to reevaluate your life. I'll dig the hole.

Don't act like you don't feel this way sometimes!!!!!! CLASSIC!

More Facebook Foolishness

So, my girl was telling about this private message that she received on fb from some guy she doesn't know but accepted his friend request a while ago, not really thinking about it. This dude posts a comment, sometimes several, to every status update she makes. She said that she never responds because she doesn't know him. Understood. Seems harmless enough, I guess. So, this weekend, she changed her relationship status to single and received the following message (on the same day):

How are you doing today? I'm doing fine. Just wanted you to know that I was thinking bout you. I hope we can become real good friends and more. I wish we could be boyfriend and girlfriend if you wanted too. You are a very sexy, beautiful woman. I love those sexy lips of yours. What are you doing for your birthday?

Um, WTF?!? Then she goes to his profile for my added amusement and I swear this dude fabricated his interests to attract women. His favorite movies are the movies we had on constant rotation in our common rooms. What dude says his favorite movies are Love Jones, Love and Basketball, and Brown Sugar and his favorite books are romance novels? I know I'm totally playing into the gender roles stererotypes but come on, man. And, if you're gonna do all of that, at least put up a half way decent picture?

So my question is how would you respond to such a message?

*All names have been omitted to protect the innocent and ignorant.*

Facebook fooliness.. (a story in screen captures)

So yesterday a single friend of mine posted an article about marriage on her facebook page. The article itself was cool, but as can be expected, the comments quickly deteriorated into the typical "Good Black men are hard to find" and "Y'all Black women are too picky," Below is the screen grab of the convo. I have blotted out the names to protect the ignorant. Notice the post before mine...

So pretty much, my intention was to a) "give a brotha a chance and b) maybe get some free dinner! (can't blame me for trying) Next thing I know I get this message in my personal inbox from the guy who posted before me... we'll call him E.



WTF!!!!! I think to myself...well you fit neither of my criteria... then there's not reason for me to call you...so i go on to bed and living my life...until i get this message tonight...read on...

i
So now I'm a little offended... okay... more than that, I'm starting to get pissy...so this is my reply...

"Hate to answer a question with a question... and i will try not to be combative... but dude... you don't know me and you just stepped to me with some real BS. you told me you were in a relationship, then gave me your number, then sent me an email entitled "offer" when i did not respond. What exactly were you offering me, E--? a chance to be your jump off? a chance to get you out of a complicated situation? a chance to get myself caught up in all of the unnecessary drama that black men and women embattle each other in? a chance to be "that girl" that brings hurt into another woman's life? it clearly wasn't an offer just to trade ideas...we could have done that on the wall post without needing a private message or things being complicated, or you passing a "litmus" test.

I'm grateful you were honest and up front, many people aren't even that up front. but dang really? And what makes it even more hurtful is that i asked my girl what your deal was and she told me exactly how successful and intelligent you are. I would have been just as happy talking to you as an interesting, non-romantic interest. But you took it to this other level where you frankly had no reason or business taking it.

Why did i have to establish the boundary? why didn't you? Because you have a Y chromosome? THAT is what frustrates me. So i will let our interaction be the response to your inquiry. Yes, it is difficult..because for some reason even seemingly intelligent men make the assumption that i just MIGHT be willing to pass on my standards and convictions for a compliment, or a hug, or a dinner or a good lay... and when they find out that i am a woman of substance (education and looks notwithstanding) they move on to something a little less challenging...often lesser quality, but something that makes it easy to dabble and let go when they are done. because they were never really interested in the substance that i had to offer.

do me a favor though, don't move on to the next thing until you properly finish with what you have on your plate now. And you should look at what you have now...it very well may be worth being actually COMMITTED to.

no animosity intended, i just wish brothers (of all race) didn't approach situations this way, and i wish even more that sistahs (of all races) wouldn't fall prey to the fear of loneliness to let them get away with it."

After sending this message of course, he's all upset and is like..."Oh it wasn't even like that, you jumped to a conclusion, I gave you my number so we could have a non-romantic discussion about the topic that was posted. Plus, as an intelligent woman you should know that I could just be meeting people people to help some of the single guys that I know find good women out there!" blah blah blah....

I just wanted to check with yal... do i look that stupid? Or could someone really be out of touch of how this whole thing could appear of base? ::sigh:: N**** aint ish, man....

Because We Once Discussed Fairy Tales...

And because part of being a Bad Black Girl is being an ANGRY black girl.

And because this line is kick ass:

I’ve got another version of Snow White’s story I like to tell: Instead of a smiling, simpering dip$hit who simply loves scrubbing the stairs, Snow White sneaks away one day to raise an army. (She makes sure break that tattletale Magic Mirror first, so that he can’t rat her out.)

Yeah.

Finish it here.

The Kid is Back at It

Waiting 2 Speak has re-opened for business:

As the recession deepens, words and statues should accompany public policies that consider a legacy of unequal distribution of resources and acknowledge a history of violence and of resilience. But few economists extend their analysis of the current crisis further back than the last decade. Which means the importance of houses--of land itself--to a long since distressed African-American community is dismissed in the scramble for better credit plans and harder stress tests. Which means that black farmers--yes there are still black farmers--continue to clamor for change they can believe in.

Our forgetting extends with each monument and each moment because we desperately want to believe a page has turned and the past is finally presenting us with a clean slate.

But even our blank sheets of paper are bloodstained.

In the meantime, the past roars in the silence.

Allez là.

We Collect Inspiration: Sarah Jones

I think we should have Common Room: Bad Black Girl WebAwards. And I think Sarah Jones should get the first one:

Tony Award-winning monologist, UNICEF ambassador, firebrand and FCC-fighting poet -- Sarah Jones assumes as many roles offstage as on....

Read the rest here. Watch her now:



(H/T to Lady Tayari on the vid--Thanks as always!)