The truth is that you and your site will likely be forgotten in about a week and fade back into obscurity.

As the year winds down, I find myself nearly to tears (I’m not a crier) because I want to just freeze 2007 in time and stay right here forever. I have been in a hurry my entire life. When I was 4, I wanted to be 5. When I was in elementary school I wanted to be in middle school. When I was in high school I couldn’t wait to get out of my hometown and as I packed up my dorm room in college, I left and didn’t look back. I was always focused on the “ONE DAY WHEN I FINALLY.” I was always headed on to bigger and better things. Well I can’t imagine how anything could be bigger or better than the experience I have had with each and every one of you this year, including the critics.

I started this blog eight months ago with a simple question: Is there anybody else out there? It was a distress beacon put out online. I had no idea if anyone would hear it. I had no idea if anyone would care about what I had to say. I really didn’t want to say anything. If I had known what was going to happen, I probably would not have started down the road.

I have truly had the time of my life and I want to thank all of you . I want to thank my lurkers. Those of you who come on here at all hours of the day and night and read and read and read and never say anything. I poke at y’all, but anytime I am in a crunch, y’all come through for me. There are so many of you whose names none of the other readers know who have hit up that donate button or forwarded an article, or just sent a word of encouragement. Some of you even took time out of busy schedules to go demonstrate on the streets of Ft. Worth, Austin, and D.C. You listen to the podcast, you buy those T-shirts and you don’t ask for anything in return.

I want to thank all of the guests who agreed to come on my podcast. Especially those of you who came on loong before a controversy about a certain show on a certain network. All you knew was that I was a soul trying to do some good in the world and you invested your very valuable time. I want to thank my commentators and contributors, you keep me on my toes, challenge my ideas and make each other better. Plus y’all entertain me to no end.

I want to thank those who slandered and libeled me. There was a time when I would have crumbled under the relentless onslaught, but you have given me a gift and cured me of a fear of criticism. I want to thank all of you who participated in Sharpton Watch. I was just joking but y’all took me seriously and thus caused me to take myself more seriously. I want to thank D.L. Hughley for being a buffoon. Had he not gone on the Tonight Show and savaged the women of Rutgers AGAIN, I would never have been doing the research leading to my discovery of THAT NETWORK’s plan for their fall lineup. I want to thank the commentator who brought up the Dunbar Village crime during a time when I was still in shock by what had happened there. She forced us to look this horror directly in the face and I could not turn away.

I have no idea what lies ahead in 2008, but one thing I hope we all know now is that we are not alone. We are not powerless. The challenges we face are not insurmountable. Now that we’ve found each other, I can’t imagine what we can’t do together.

2007- You were a very very good year!

I’m BAAAAAACK! Did you miss me? Don’t answer that question. We had a lovely relatively drama free vacation. I kept my promise and only chimed in to give my instant review of The Great Debaters and now it is back to the grind stone.

Just because we went on Christmas vacation didn’t mean that FOOLISHNESS took a rest. Oh yes, folks were acting up even during the season of glad tidings and joy. We just elected to ignore them Therefore I present to you… HOLIDAY FOOLISHNESS: A Retrospective.

R. Kelly Redux- The World’s Most idiotic grandmother

Somebody finally went to jail in the R. Kelly case. Too bad it wasn’t R. Kelly.

A 49-year-old grandmother(the idiot’s name is Jean Johnson) has pleaded guilty to contempt of court after admitting she snapped photos of R&B superstar R. Kelly in a Chicago courtroom last week. Describing herself as Kelly’s “biggest fan,” she said she couldn’t resist snapping four grainy pictures of him as he sat across from her last Thursday. SOURCE

Sorry Jean, you’re far too old for him. Maybe she was taking the photos for her teenage granddaughters… you know the ones R. Kelly appears to have a predilection for. The judge sentenced her to FIVE days in jail (she got credit for time served on an unrelated matter BOO!) to rub it in, the judge ordered her cellphone DESTROYED. Now if we could only get R. Kelly to take pictures of HIMSELF in the courtroom.

Al Sharpton’s Many Wives

I need some of you to sit down and let me have a talk with y’all about my favorite pompadoured preacha’. I am concerned that some of you have developed an unhealthy fixation with the Rev. Al Sharpton. It was like WAOD readers have attached GPS tracking devices and every single time Rev. Al made a move, I got an email about it. Just say NO! Y’all are not his wife and you ought to thank God for that. I really can’t blame y’all because Rev. Sharpton, absolutely exhausted from all his freedom fighting and whatnot, was running the streets doing godknowswhat.

Y’all remember how Reverend Sharpton was supposed to picketing outside of Madison Square Garden to protest New York Knicks coach, Isiah Thomas calling Black women bitches and then saying that it was okay for Black men to call Black women bitches, but if a White man did it, he would be offended. Y’all remember how Reverend Al said that if Thomas didn’t appologize he was going to be outside Madison Square garden in the freezing cold protesting with his megaphone and whatnot?

Well A faithful WAOD reader R. Banks sent me this tidbit over the holidays:

Hey,
Did you see Al Sharpton protesting the Knicks yesterday? Neither did I.
He was at the game courtside. Cheering the Knicks and Isiah Thomas.
What happened to the protest’s? Not only is he not protesting, he is
supporting them and doesn’t think Isiah Thomas should be fired. They
were found guilty and even had to pay 11 million dollars, but thats
still not good enough for our favorite Reverend. I guess he wanted to
cheer on Isiah, the Knicks, and Kobe Bryant.

Wll R., perhaps Reverend Al was given some bad directions and he mistook being outside Madison Square Garden in the freezing cold, he was warm and toasty sitting COURTSIDE. Oh and maybe the Rev. All got confused, instead of fighting on behalf of the downtrodden, he has taken to trying to protect the job or a multimillionaire sexual harasser:

Sharpton: “Let me ask you this: The Secretary General of the U.N. was sitting near me. Do we fire him because we don’t have world peace? I mean, come on.”

The Rev. Al Sharpton: Isiah stays. NY TIMES

Thanks for clearing that up Rev. Al.The Al Sharpton holiday tour continued with a National Action Network press release disguised as a work of serious journalism in the Washington Post

“He seems to have evolved into a new respectability, at least in the city,” said Norman Siegel, a lawyer and former director of the New York Civil Liberties Union, who has known Sharpton for 20 years. WAPO

I know all the Black bloggers who blogged the Jena 6 story with their blood, sweat and tears will LOVE this quote:

Sharpton put together a march in Jena, La., in support of six black teenagers jailed in the beating of a white student, and he held a protest rally outside the Justice Department in Washington to demand more prosecution of hate crimes. WAPO

This reporter didn’t even TRY! Seriously Washington Post, get your facts straight and go to Louisiana and speak with LOCAL leaders about Sharpton’s march. Or better yet, read the Chicago Tribune you dolts.

And now, he is being wooed by the leading Democratic presidential candidates, all of whom seek his endorsement. “I think this has been a banner year, to say the least,” said Sharpton, smiling contentedly over coffee. WAPO

Now call me crazy, BUT, who knew that injustice, police brutality and the trampling of constitutional rights was something to celebrate? This is further evidence that the Civil Rights Industrial Complex has commoditized social justice. I’m sorry, but does he sound like he’s selling a product? What is “BANNER” about the death of a little girl’s father? What’s “BANNER” about the Jena 6? What is “BANNER” about Megan Williams? He should have said that he has a heavy heart that in the year 2007, the country continues to wrestle with the issue of racial injustice. Oh well, at least he was honest.

And he truly has been busy: He’s planning marches in Cleveland and Long Island, but before he marches, the good Reverned had to get his party on… in Vegas

Yes, he wrapped up his season of running the streets in Las Vegas. Y’all know how he is America’s new Decency Czar and he is going to wage was against the misogyny in music blah blah blah. Well maybe he was doing reconnaissance again because yet again, he was all hugged up with members of the Hip Hop Industrial Complex. Check out Rev. Al on the red carpet of the opening of Jay-Z’s 40/40 club. Now now. Pipe down. I know many a preacha’ that likes to be up in da’ club. You can save a lot of souls in da’ club. Why look, here is Rev. Al Sharpton, Decency Czar throwing up a sign indicating that he is either a member of DST, Rock-a-fella Records, or some unknown street gang of a group of men who are entirely TOO old to be up in da’ club..I can see he is hard at work battling the Hip Hop Industiral Complex.

Before y’all start whining about mean old Gina picking on lil’ ole pitiful and defenseless Rev. Al, I am not the only one that noted the blatant hypocrisy. the folks over at Stereohyped noticed that it appears that we have a fox guarding the hen house. And the Washington Post wants us to believe that he is respectable. Whatever.

Let me just throw it out there. One of y’all reading this blog had BETTER run for President in 2012. I am serious. You don’t have to win or get any votes or anything crazy like that. You just have to put your name on the ballot and make a couple of quick witted retorts during a couple of debates and then all of a sudden, you are to taken seriously. Seriously, who volunteers?

A Salute to a Brother Defending Black Women

I first learned about this tragic story on Sandra Rose. Darius Miller is sitting in a coma in an Atlanta area hospital after he was brutally attacked outside an Atlanta hotspot. Why was he brutalized? Because he was trying to protect a group of Black women on the streets being harassed by a bunch of gremlins trying to force these women to play a role in some “Girls Gone Wild” esq video they were shooting and they pounces on his like a PACK OF JACKALS! I mean HOW DARE a Black woman walk the streets without having to perform for whatever group of perverts decide that they want her to be their next Video ho’? So y’all pray for this Brother. If you want to send him your thoughts and well wishes, he is in critical condition at Crawford Long hospital in Atlanta. There is a WAR ON BLACK WOMEN. Right now it is a war of attrition that no one is paying attention. If it is this bad now, imagine in 20 years. None of your daughters will have freedom of movement. They’ll be dodging violent video camera toting hordes.

Other Holiday Hijinks and Happenings

• The NY Times is whining about the Demise of the Hip Hop Industrial complex. Boo hoo NY Times
• Susan Taylor is Leaving Essence magazine… NOOO. Don’t go NY TIMES
• Kanye West is still insufferable. Jack and Jill Politics
• “Stop Snitching” is going strong Prometheus 6
• Tyfanny aka “New York” is continuing to take her role as a living breathing cartoon character way too seriously. . she is supposed to be getting engaged so hopefully there will not be a season 3 of her tour of tawdriness. Yeah Right.
• Black Enterprise wants us to know that we are at risk of dying early.
• Shecodes finally started blogging. Black Women Vote
• Professor Tracey joined in . Aunt Jemima’s Revenge. Check out the hysterical discussion about rules black women should follow f they want to get married..

I’ll be back later tonight with my last post of 2007. Now I am off to Starbucks to finish up the long awaited book. Can you feel the excitement? Either that or I am still recovering from swilling down two caffeine infused syrupy concoctions of Starbucks overpriced elixir. That being said. Starbucks has cured me of my writer’s block and I am never more productive than when I am attempting to drown out the sound of the whirling coffechinofrapamocha machine while listen to the Starbucks music network. Whatever I have by 11:59 tonight is what I am going with. At some point you have to know when to say ENOUGH!

Earlier this year, NBC Nightly News aired a series called “African American Women: Where They Stand”. The series was touted as in depth, but it was anything but. The response was overwhelmingly disappointing. So I put out a call to WAOD readers and asked them to tell us where Black women REALLY stand. Our first entry was from Tami in a post called “The Black Women I Know”. The second was from Black Feminist Nationalist in a post called “Holding the Reigns of Our Lives”. Here is the final entry by WAOD reader A Thompson in a post called “It’s Time to Stand Up for Black Women and Girls ”. I had to break this one up because it covered so much material, but I will definitely be posting portions in the future. This exercise has also convinced me to move forward with the anthology I mentioned on the podcast a looong time ago.

Moi will be coming off of vacation with a vengeance tomorrow. Just because I went on vacation doesn’t mean that FOOLISHNESS did. I got an email box full of tips to wade through and I’ll be doing a post called “Old Year’s Resolutions.” But aren’t y’all proud of me, I only did ONE post in the past seven days, I haven’t taken this much time off from the blog since… well never. I’ll tell you what I have been doing during the down time. Let’ just say we’re bringing WAOD to the WORLD! *Hillary Clinton cackle* Stay tuned!

IT’S TIME TO STAND UP FOR BLACK WOMEN AND GIRLS

By: A. Thompson

It’s hard to be a Black woman or girl when everything and everyone around you is telling you that you are less than; you are not as good as; you’re not enough. In an increasingly multicultural America, the tools of exclusion, ridicule, and degradation are being used as a means to control our rise and success. Black women’s strength and personality are now being used by many to falsely accuse us of not being supportive of our men and our communities, as being too aggressive, as being unfeminine. In order to control us and keep us – the other half of the race – in degraded positions, to never rise up to be the cream of the crop that we and all other humans were put on this earth to be and to keep us quiet, we are being excluded from all other women and being made to feel less than, told that we are ugly, or whores or hos. These attacks on Black women and girls are coming from several aspects, including in the music being made by certain Black people, especially a segment of Black men in popular music, white and Black men in popular media, the internet, Hollywood movies and films, and most other public means of communication.

To all Black women and girls: You have GOT to hold on. You have GOT to keep your pride. You have GOT to remain true to who you are, true to your self no matter what it said. Keep your eyes on the prize.

Remembering Who We Really Are – When We Were Queens

As Black women in America, we have the absolute RIGHT to be recognized for who we REALLY are and for what we have done. It is not in the tradition of Black American women to be unquestioning and passive. Our fiery, vivacious, survivor personality is what got us through the horrors of slavery and Jim Crow, and helped the civil rights movements to succeed. It was Harriet Tubman, a Black woman called Moses for good reason, who suffered unspeakable torture, rape, and brutal hardships to save the lives of not only Black women, but even more Black men and children. It was a Black woman, Mrs. Rosa Parks, that stood up for all Black people and to the end of segregation everywhere, it was the strong willed, hard working single Black women all over America that have served to keep what little family structure still exists in Black America today. And it was my Black-Indian great grandmother who paid hard earned money to her former enslaver to free her beloved husband from the further horrors of slavery.

We are killing our girls esteem for the sake of our boys and men’s egos. We are the only race in America that publicly castigates our women to the whole world, who pretend that the problems that exist between men and women and in relationships are somehow uniquely only the fault of Black women, not typical of relations of men and women world wide. When in a bad relationship, the response is to blame all Black women (usually in a public forum), instead of focusing on maybe that one woman with whom you happen to have bad relations. Instead of recognizing this, fuel has been added to the fire so that now everybody from anywhere can take potshots at Black girls and women and there is no outcry or support. There will never be an outcry for a hated group of people, especially when your own are the acceptors and purveyors of the majority of the hate. This is terrible and the worst crime ever committed in our community. Black girls are being raped, killed, and assaulted in record numbers because of the unfettered HATRED that exists towards us, mostly by some of our own men – ignorant and self-loathing, who want to see themselves solely represented as “the Black man”, but who want their children to look less and less Black. They choose to ignore the fact that to birth a Black man like themselves, they need a Black woman. Many Black girls and women are now getting naked onscreen and engaging in sex acts at too-young ages in real life to try to prove that they too are beautiful and sexy – the result being disease and teen pregnancy, and ruined esteem early on in life.

Where are Our Defenders?

Black women and girls are being systematically excluded from first class citizenship and no one is speaking out. Black women and girls images are being degraded and there are many in the Black community who are accepting of this – I reject this.

We have worked to specifically defend Black men and boys against racism, where are the groups working to specifically defend Black women and girls? Why are we allowed to be stripped naked and shot and killed in movies by men of all types, the only group of women in America where this is allowed in Hollywood blockbusters? Where are our defenders? Where are the people who write books about the destruction of young, Black girls? What about the conspiracy against Black girls? I have listened to words of low self worth coming out of the mouths of little Black girls. I have seen Black girls who have been put on Ritalin and other drugs to “control” them in the classrooms and who have been “tracked” into failure – highly intelligent, energetic, beautiful Black girls. And I hear no outcry from our so-called leaders, from all of the Black authors who have written great works on Black psychiatry, works on how Black boys are tracked into failure in school, where is the outrage for this in regards to Black girls? The lie has been told that oh so many Black females are in colleges, higher education, and corporations, taking spots from Black males, purposely trying to outstrip Black males, being given an advantage in education over Black males. And for this reason, people have come to falsely believe that Black women and girls are 100% happy success stories, with no problems, being given all the advantages – which is of course false. Women in America, in general, are now outnumbering men in higher education – this is not some Black female phenomenon. Not only that, Black women are still woefully underrepresented in all levels of the educational system in America and in corporate America.

How About Saving Black Women and Girls for a Change

It is time to make specific the campaign to save Black girls. I remember all the sympathy-inducing messages back in the ‘90’s sorrowfully telling us of the impending “extinction of Black men”, the fact that most would die before reaching 25, with a common utterance to this day being “I’m just a Black man living in America”, or that we must “save Black boys”, and we must end the “conspiracy against Black boys”. Attention-grabbing headlines that spurred the development of numerous articles, books, academic texts, discussions, public and private forums, advocacy groups, nonprofit agencies, youth programs and other efforts in the Black community to specifically battle the injustices heaped upon Black men and boys.

But where is all this public outcry in the conspiracy against Black women and girls? Where are all the attention-grabbing headlines pleading for the survival of Black women and girls?? Why is no one outraged by the negative media portrayals/lack of portrayals of Black women? And where are the gut-wrenching headlines about Black female rape and murder victims? Why no nationwide organizational efforts in defense of Black women and girls? Because they were too busy focusing solely on Black men.

And Black women wholeheartedly supported the efforts of these organizations when it came to Black men. And why not? These were our brothers, fathers, uncles, spouses, friends, and boyfriends, our family. But where is the wholehearted support from Black men for programs such as these for Black women and girls? We are your sisters, mothers, aunts, spouses, friends, and girlfriends – family. The time for being quiet is over.

We Can No Longer Accept The Destruction of Black Females

We are pushing our women and girls into destructive patterns of depression, suicide, eating disorders, stress-related autoimmune disorders, substance abuse, and violent, envious and jealous behavior because of how we are treating them.

We cannot keep accepting this, we cannot be quiet about this anymore, after all that we have been through, after all of our suffering, and after all that we have contributed towards the race, we cannot allow certain Black men (in the entertainment industry especially) and others to happily buck dance their way to acceptance while using Black woman as scapegoats. We cannot keep allowing our Black girls to be victims of violence and then be afraid to speak out in fear of being labeled as a “feminist” or against Black men. We are women who have suffered at the hands of whites too long to be relegated to the bottom of the barrel for the insecurity of some Black men. We cannot allow Black girls to grow up believing they are to blame for society’s ill, for bad attitudes, for lack of achievement, for drug problems in the community, and every other of society’s ills. We cannot allow our Black girls to believe they are less than everyone else, that they are undeserving, that they should sit back and be quiet, or listen and laugh while being denigrated.

We cannot allow our Black girls to feel that education is not important, that they should hold themselves back, we cannot allow this. Black American women were at the forefront of all American movements to free our people, Black people, and should not take such insults lying down. We cannot accept Black gangster-ism and misogyny to define our communities – they are destroying us! In their words and actions. The idea that Black gangsters are somehow these unrecognized defenders of the race is the worst notion ever developed. Black gangsters are criminals and are wreaking havoc in our community, killing our success stories, drugging young minds, violating our youth, and demoralizing our girls – and boys!

There are no more excuses for this behavior. As long as we keep making these excuses, the longer the whole community will suffer. We can’t do this anymore. The Black community is suffering and no one will speak up because to see Black people act like animals towards one another is what much of America has come to accept as normal and therefore loves to see. To see Black women falsely labeled as evil, mean-spirited, ugly, lazy, and every other negative adjective in the English language is destructive, especially when so many of us have helped to open doors to other races in America and have worked tirelessly towards the success of the Black community.

BLACK WOMEN/GIRLS – FORGOTTEN AND SCAPEGOATED

Many Black nationalists, Black journalists, popular Black psychiatrists and Black doctors have forgotten Black women and girls. The self-serving interests of Black nationalistic movements and other groups told us that Black men and boys were treated worse than Black women and girls throughout American history. They told us that Black women were not victims of lynching. They told us that rape during slavery was a privilege or deny that it happened at all. They told us that Black men and boys were the only “true” victims in a racist society and were therefore the only ones truly deserving of efforts to be saved; the nationalist movements that spread the lie that Black women and girls were purposefully being put in better positions in schools, given better jobs, were outstripping our men and boys in every profession. For these reasons, myriads of book have been written, forums have been held, problems have been addressed in regard to how to save Black men and boys – as they should have been and should still be. However, Black women and girls for the most part were forgotten, left out, or scapegoated as being successful at the expense of Black males.

The 2 Most Destructive Myths In The Black Community Towards Black Women:

There are two major myths circulating throughout the Black community that are being used to breed envy and hatred of Black women by Black men and to convince Black women to accept mediocrity and failure. Many Black women are trying hard to be better, to push for excellence, to succeed, to be professional, and to live up to the empowering, but emotionally limiting idea of the “strong Black women”. But many others are falling through the cracks. Many Black men, in their selfishness, pretend to not understand just how Black women have been affected, had to struggle for what little we have. A common utterance is that Black women are thriving and leaving Black men behind because they have been accepted wholeheartedly, in large numbers, into corporate America, business, higher education, and other professional fields.

The truth is that Black men still make more money than Black women, Black women are not heavily represented in corporate America, are about equal to Black men in attainment of higher degrees, and still profit less as entrepreneurs than Black male entrepreneurs. Plus, many Black women still suffer from racial discrimination, violent crimes, mental and physical health issues, and struggles at home.

Myth One- Black Women Are Accepted Into Corporate America With Open Arms

• According to a report from the Executive Leadership Council in Washington, D.C. African Americans hold 8.1 percent of the board seats, or 449 seats, on Fortune 500 companies. George E. Curry, editor of Emerge Magazine, reports that of those 449 seats, Black men hold more than three times as many seats than Black women. Black men hold 344 of the total board seats, or 6.2 percent, and Black women hold only 105, or 1.9 percent.” (1)

• A 1995 report by the federal Glass Ceiling Commission observed that 95 to 97 percent of all senior managers at Fortune 1000, 2000 and 500 companies are white and male. The remaining 5 percent of senior managers is comprised of virtually all white women (1).

• The differences between Black women vs. Black men in higher educational attainment is very small, with Black women earning 15% and Black men 13% of bachelors degrees of those 25 and older. (4) The truth is that ALL Black people should be emphasizing education and higher educational opportunities, instead of telling one half of the race to stop accomplishing.

• In 2000, there were only 10% more Black women in management occupations than Black men, but still earned almost 15% less than Black men in all occupations. Black women earned only $85 for every $100 earned by Black men and were more likely to live in poverty than Black men. (5)

• While Black women drove start-up growth in Black entrepreneurship in 2002 and owned more businesses than ever before, annual revenues lagged far behind businesses owned by Black men, with Black women averaging $39,000 compared to $114,000 for Black men. (7)And both groups profited significantly less than white owned businesses

Myth Two – Black Women Are Thriving In America While Black Men Are Dying

• Black women and girls are subjected to double discrimination based upon race AND gender.

• Black women are suffering disproportionately from many health issues.

• Black women are suffering disproportionately from violent crimes.

• It is reported that African American women are nearly twice as likely as African American men to have suffered a bout of major depression. (13.1 percent vs. 7.4 percent). (6)

• Family households maintained by Black women with no husband present was nearly 3 times the proportion for all family U.S. households (30 percent)

In reality, none of us, Black women or men, are doing as well as we should. By encouraging Black women to be less, to do even less, is detrimental to the Black community and beneficial to those in power that want to see the entire race fail. For Black women like myself who were taught by our mothers AND fathers that independence, excellence, education, and professionalism were the keys to bettering ourselves and the Black race, who have instead received hatred, jealousy, looks of disdain, called overly-aggressive, and trying to out-compete or be better than our men, we have been betrayed. For the professional and educated Black women, we are being punished for trying hard, for keeping our backs straight, for keeping high standards, for trying to live up to the idea of the “strong Black woman”.

IN SUPPORT OF BLACK WOMEN AND GIRLS

In the Black community, we have got to start making every effort to support Black girls’ education and emotional well being. For those that won’t help in this matter, move on; there will always be others willing to see a Black girl rise. You don’t have to be the ho or whore to be accepted, you don’t have to worry about being called a bitch or mean for being intelligent, spirited, and independent, you don’t have to worry about being called overly-aggressive just because you are not submissive because of the pride and confidence you’ll have in yourself. You don’t have to dye your hair blonde to try to mimic anyone else, be your beautiful self and dismiss everyone else who wishes to degrade you, including Black men and women who want to denigrate you. The Black men who never had the backbone to stand up and support you in Hollywood or in your communities and other places should not be supported – don’t give money to entertainers, comedians, or movies that either exclude you or cast you in a negative light.

Keep your education, ambition, drive, and love for family at the forefront. Don’t feel the need to postpone your success to wait for a Black man or anyone else to catch up – it just helps to hold us all back. Love your family, love your spouse/boyfriend, but also always keep your dreams and reach for your success at all times. Your success is his success, just as his success is also yours. Don’t ever let anyone tell you that you are less than or wrong for trying hard to do and be better – emotionally, spiritually, physically, and economically. Don’t ever stop, don’t ever stop, don’t ever stop reaching to be the best. Don’t ever stop, even in the face of violence. Black women have the right to this and deserve this as much as any one else, male or female. Keep your strength, let the “haters hate”, let them castigate you, but don’t change who you are for anyone. Be the bad-ass Black woman you were made to be – quiet or loud, strong or delicate, loving or rough-around-the-edges, conventional or not, neck rolling and finger waving, calm or passionate, studious, ambitious, intelligent, and beautiful!

What We Must All Do Now For Black Girls

* Remind a Black girl that women and girls the world-over are being encouraged to become educated. Black females should be no exception. Education should be priority. Her education is not a hindrance to the Black community.

* Emphasize education and higher education no matter what. Education of Black girls is NOT detrimental to our community; rather it is beneficial and helps to improve her person specifically and to improve the community as a whole.

*Support Mentoring programs for Black girls and Personally mentor Black girls

*Support positive media like Akeelah and The Bee

* If you travel, try to take Black girls with you to another country to see African-descended populations everywhere (when it is economically feasible) and the varied cultures of every continent. If you cannot take her, tell her all about your journeys. This expands the mind, increases exposure to new and different ideologies, and removes limitations.

*Denounce gangs and gangsterism, pimps, and criminals in every way, publicly whenever possible. Gangsters in our community are not “lost Black heroes or warriors”, they are students of the teachings of satan (in all its cultural forms and religious representations), the kkk and white supremacy; misogynistic, ultimately racist against their own, blood thirsty, destroyers of life and soul of the Black community.

*Volunteer and financially support groups that make the success of Black girls as much a priority as everyone else.

*Work with organizations founded and run by Black women like One World that expand the minds of youths of color. The One World Foundation – TheOneWorldFoundation.org

*Write a letter to your representative/congressman/naacp/urban league to take the safety and education of Black girls seriously and make it a number one priority. I am sending this letter, hopefully you will also send yours.

*Write a letter to Blck movie stars to fight for and present more balanced, positive roles for Black actresses.

*Black women-founded organizations going around the world doing good things!

*Make a vow to our girls that we will not allow them to become an invisible group or accept being denigrated from any race, including our own. We are here and are here to stay.

*teach young girls the history of great Black women too when teaching about history

*send your letter of discontent to as many decision makers in network media as possible to end their campaign of hate against Black women. They are purposefully only allowing for the most negative portrayals or the complete elimination of Black women from normal and positive images. (movie producers/companies, network tv, satellite, cable, music industry producers)

CONCLUSION

People can say what they want, but I didn’t write this as one who hates Black men or as a “feminist”, but as one who sees the danger in the acceptance of all of this. It is time to check ourselves, because certain highly-visible and violent groups in our communities are worst than the Klan ever was. We should no longer be silent. No more allowing Black gangsters and thugs to slide by on excuses of being poor, lost, Black men that we have to wait patiently for to improve. They are killing us and killing the image and physicality of Black women and girls and Black men too. No more acceptance and support of Black entertainers who are profiting off the backs of Black women. The time is now to speak up and end this.

Earlier this year, NBC Nightly News aired a series called “African American Women: Where They Stand”. The series was touted as in depth, but it was anything but. The response was overwhelmingly disappointing. So I put out a call to WAOD readers and asked them to tell us where Black women REALLY stand. Our first entry was from Tami in a post called “The Black Women I Know”. Here is the second from Black Feminist Nationalist.

Holding the Reigns Of Our Lives

By: Black Feminist Nationalist

It’s an extremely frightening time to be a Black woman in America. Many things remain uncertain about our fate. However, What About Our Daughters has been that opportunity where Black women, if only for a brief moment, can hold the reigns of their lives and steer in the right direction.

Below is the humble perspective of Black women, from a spinster niece, in the words of Twisty Faster of the late iblamethepatriarchy.com. More specifically, I am a Black Feminist Nationalist woman who is an organizer by profession who has reveled in the privilege of traveling around the country to do many things including, talking to Black women about their rights, and also discovering some things about what’s on my own agenda as a 23-year old Black woman in America.

Rape & Violence against Black Women

How can one really describe the paralysis that is living and resisting against the rape culture that is so salient in everyday life? As a Black woman, I not only have the fear of being raped but the ultimate fear that I will not receive justice because of the many reminders in American culture of how truly insignificant I really am. Then there are the other caveats, the fact that 90 percent of rapes in this country are intraracial and that on top of all that you will have the hair salon pundits and your own folk asking questions: What time was it? What were you wearing? Have you ever slept with him? These inquiries somehow attempt to assert that any kind of violence against a black woman in any form is justifiable. I feel especially persecuted not solely by the fear of being raped but the signifiers of a rape culture that normalizes street harassment, distribute fliers that don half-naked women advertising parties and turns physical disputes between grown-ass men and women half their size into merely “fights.” Worse, are the attempts to address this problem. When will we rise above the streetlights, county-sheriff safety lectures, and victim blaming and begin the high decibeled critique on the commitment some men have to authenticating their hypermasculinity at all costs. I would like to be a part of a revolution that deconstructs attitudes on violence that are cultivated and exported in media outlets in our country and stops it once and for all.

Child Sexual Abuse

I am a survivor of child sexual abuse and I seldom talk about it. But when I have talked about it, the testimonies poor in. This year is the first year since it ended when I was about 14, that I started to embark upon healing. And it is in this process I have learned what great potential the terrorism that is child sexual abuse has to significantly distort the already unstable self image that black women have today. From sex work, to video modeling, to the inability to distinguish healthy relationships from unhealthy ones, I believe that this is the missed mark for several of the problems that Black women are facing today.

The Lack of Co-parenting and Rebuilding Black Families

There’s a personal responsibility piece in here that I haven’t quite developed a stance on. If more women would “turn in” the men who sire their children, the 70 percent that accounts for the homes in Black America that are being raised by one person wouldn’t be such a defeating number. Because then, at least we could say that many of our children are provided for financially. However, when we think of how relentlessly black women in this country are charged with neglect for evading their maternal responsibilities, I can’t help but be filled with anger that virtually few men are ever being held accountable for opting out of fatherhood even if they financially contribute. I feel strongly that child support that is legally mandated in this country should not be simply a monetary obligation. It should encompass the full range of support children in America need from both parents. I would happily volunteer for a non-profit that works to cultivate co-parenting situations in Black America by re-connecting children with long lost fathers and training them, and mothers, about parenting, conflict resolution and how a partnership that isn’t marriage can still be a fruitful arrangement that benefits children that are a result from a union had once upon a time.

Comprehensive Sexual Education with a Gender and Race Component

As a Black girl in America there were abstract things surrounding sexual situations that I desperately needed to know about as a teenager. Growing up in the hip-hop generation, I needed a cultural interpreter to explain what the truths were of the sexual imagery of black women in my daily media diet.

I needed to know how to respond to sexual advances from grown men and how to reconcile my response with a sense of bodily integrity. I needed a lesson in negotiation. How do I respond to the boyfriends who want to have sex without a condom because they “loved” me? And once I learned these things, I needed to know how to educate without alienating my partners on the myths of gender roles that determined so much about engaging in heterosexual sexual interaction.

Comprehensive sexual education with a gender component is the on-the-ground relevant information in addition to the birds and the bees clap. Yes, the contraception, STI-scared-straight method is useful, but sexuality in our day and age is about negotiation. And to omit that would be a disservice. The multi-layered sexual state of Black women requires a multi-tactical approach. There is the sexual abuse, assault, rape prevention piece. There is the information piece from a biological standpoint about anatomically correct language regarding the business of penises and vaginas (for the heterosexual). Then there is the ethics, mores piece. Then there is the lesson on negotiation to actually implement a value system in a way that is practical for modern interaction. And lastly there are long term values about sexuality and autonomy, lessons on the Reproductive Justice of Black Women. This is something Dorothy Roberts documented in 1997 in Killing the Black Body, a non-fiction narrative that needs to be required reading for Black girls everywhere.

Bottom line: if Black women don’t start teaching Black girls about our sexual systems, we will continue to learn about something so important from the white male heterosexual fantasy that dominates all of the images around sexuality that inundate our daily lives.

Finance Management

Last, I think finance management is critical to survival. Having attended college on a full scholarship awarded to me by my parents, I am still reeling from credit card debt that has shot to hell any chance I have in the near future of owning, renting or leasing anything unless I have a co-signer. While I have recuperated some, I still have a long way to go. Much must be learned about the capital that reports say Black women are gaining so much of.

Earlier this year, NBC Nightly News aired a series called “African American Women: Where They Stand”. The series was touted as in depth, but it was anything but. The response was overwhelmingly disappointing. So I put out a call to WAOD readers and asked them to tell us where Black women REALLY stand. here is the first one from Tami from the blog, What Tami Said.

THE BLACK WOMEN I KNOW

By Tami, What Tami Said

Have you heard the news? Lately, everybody’s talking about how bad it is to be a black woman. Let some folks in the media tell it, we are over-educated, unattractive, unwanted, overbearing, unhealthy and poor. NBC Nightly News recently devoted a whole week to the plight of the sister. You know, whenever I hear the latest “oh, how it sucks to be a black woman” story, I think: They must not know the black women I know.

They say that black women are too smart for our own good. The black women I know realize that there is no such thing–learning is the key to professional success, personal fulfillment and freedom. And the black women I know realize that a mate that doesn’t want a smart partner, is a mate they don’t want.

They say that black women are not beautiful, that our hair is too nappy, our skin too dark, our noses too wide and our asses too big. The black women I know are gorgeous, sexy and strong, more so because they love their black selves–truly and deeply. The black women I know are loc’d, fro’d and twisted, and even if they are not, they understand that black women’s hair needn’t be altered to be beautiful. The black women I know are size 2 to 22, but always fine. The black women I know understand beauty is not foretold by the amount of melanin in their skin. The black women I know believe European features don’t trump African ones, no matter what fashion magazines say.

They say that black women are unlovable, that no partner–black, white or otherwise–wants us. All of the black women I know are adored by their families and friends. Some of the black women I know are married to wonderful men and building strong families. Some of the black women I know attract the attention of eager suitors of all races and nationalities. Some of the black women I know aren’t interested in partnering with anyone. None of the black women I know are defined by whether or not they have a significant other.

They say that black women hate and dominate men. The black women I know lovingly raise their sons, embrace and speak gently to their husbands, and respect their fathers. The black women I know also realize that their gender doesn’t make them second to any man, and that female equality is just as important as racial equality.

They say that black women are unapologeticly unhealthy. The black women I know cherish their bodies. Some of the black women I know work out daily and monitor their diets closely. Some of the black women I know struggle with weight and stress, but recognize how their habits affect their health. The black women I know read about nutrition, try healthy recipes, do yoga, run marathons, and belly dance for exercise. The black women I know understand that good health requires work and vigilance, and they are dedicated to living long and healthy lives.

They say that black women are penniless. The black women I know make money and manage it. They own homes, condos and co-ops. They save for a rainy day, because rainy days always come.

The black women I know don’t represent every black woman. But the character of the downtrodden black woman that gets so much ink and film doesn’t represent the black women I know. It is not true, as many people imply, that it sucks to be us. The black women I know are proud and happy to be black women.

Here’s what is true: black women are often dismissed and overlooked. To use the vernacular, folks are always “sleeping on” the fabulousness of black women. People were sleeping on black women when Harriet Tubman was leading her people to freedom. People were sleeping on black women when Dorothy Dandridge was one of the most beautiful women on the silver screen. People were sleeping on black women when Mae Jemison was rocketing into space. People were sleeping on black women when Ruby Dee was shining on stage and working for black equality. People were sleeping on black women when Shirley Chisholm was running to be the leader of the free world. People were sleeping on black women when Toni Morrison was winning the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. People were sleeping on black women when Ann Fudge was working her way to the top at Kraft Foods. Ain’t nothin’ changed.

But, you know what? People who dismiss and overlook black women and their achievements do so to their own detriment, and at their own loss. Overlook the black women I know and they keep on going, keep on achieving and keep on living well.

You can read more from Tami over at her blog, “What Tami Said“

Professor Tracey, WAOD Contributor

The Great Debaters had an excellent opening day at the box office on Christmas Day. The film earned a one day estimate of 3.6 million dollars in just 1,164 theaters. It finished sixth in the daily box office, holding it’s own against movies in nearly double or triple the theaters. If the film averages that kind of money everyday until Monday, it will be a bondafide smash hit.

Shame on black folks that went out to see National Treasure: Book of Secrets or Alien vs. Predator: Requiem instead of The Great Debaters. All black folks with children that had to suffer through Alvin & the Chipmunks or The Waterhorse: Legend of the Deep on Christmas Day get a free pass!

Keep up the excellent support. If you saw the movie, make plans to see it again with someone else. If you have plans to see the film this wekend, recruit more people to go with you. On The Great Debaters website, they are giving away free posters to anyone that mails in 20 ticket stubs!

I am going to try to give this review of the Movie, “The Great Debaters” without giving away any major plot points in the event you have not seen it already. So this review is all about style and nothing about substance.

Generally speaking, I have never been impressed with Oprah’s forays into movie production. Can anybody say Beloved ( FYI- The works of Toni Morrison should never be adapted for film! Some things were meant to be remain in their original form). So going into the movie, I was excited because I wanted this story to be told yet, filled with dread because in the past Oprah’s productions can be a little heavy on message and symbolism. I don’t know if it was because of the screenplay, the director, or the actors, but this movie had just enough of it all. Romance, trials, tribulations, redemption and comedy ( can you say SLAP HEARD ROUND THE WORLD?)- basically all the things you go to a the movies to see. They managed to convey the horror of what it meant to be Black in Texas during that time in history with out leaving you depressed and dejected walking out of the theater. After all, we go to the movies to escape.

I watched this movie in Southeast Texas. I think one of the interesting points in the movie was when they were trying to find Prairie View University on the map and everybody laughed because we know PV is out in the middle of nowhere and half the audience either graduated from PV or had an parent, grandparent, aunt or uncle that went to PV. I actually take a short cut through there when I am going from 290 to 45 ( don’t worry about figuring it out, the locals know what I am talking about. Well the audiences familiarity with the geographic location adds extra meaning to the scene that follows. I won’t give it away. Needless to say many folks in the audience have found themselves on a road to PV at one time or another.

Lets give a hand clap of praise to whoever made the casting decisions in this movie. They could have given us the same five Black actors who are in every other Black film, but they managed to pull together a group of actors that are relatively unknown. Even if we’ve seen them before, not in this way. It was nice to have a departure from the same ole same ole and I think it paid off because man, this was a character driven piece. I can’t imagine any other actors playing any of these roles.

Now Denzel may have been heavy with his use of the soft focus effect, but the man knows how to direct actors. There was no Tyler Perry method acting excessive crying up in this movie. When a tear was shed, it meant something baby! The subtle things that the actors in this movie did were just amazing. Although Denzel Washington is the big name in this movie, he manages to make his presence known with just a look and a pause. It is when the man is totally silent – COMEDY! And let’s talk abotu Forrest Whitaker… the brother speaks volumes just sitting in a chair in the dark! Put the two of them together and watch out.

There wasn’t much bad about the movie, HOWEVER, Denzel darlin’. Moi luvs ya. She do she do and I KNOW you are excited to direct, but please, for the love of humanity , lay off the soft focus lens. I know it is fun and nifty to use all the various effects available to you, but several times during the movie, I wondered if I needed to go get my eyes checked, before it occurred to me that you are fascinated with making the outer edges of the frame blurry.

Now somebody needs to hunt down all of the literary references in this movie. I need to read or reread every work mentioned in this movie. Some I have read before, but it has been years and this movie reminded folks about the value of a liberal arts education. Half the time I thought professor Tolson was talking to me. Higher Education isn’t just about vocational training, but also about the power of ideas to shape the mind and change the world. They almost had me convinced to go back to school at the end of the movie… I said ALMOST. Whew, now I am off to read some Greek mythology. What was the name of the character from mythology that got stronger with each defeat? I have to be spelling it wrong. Thanks erica b. the name of the character is Antaeus.

Now typically I don’t like audience participation during a movie, but in this case, all of our collective participation was appropriate. Let’s do a survey, how many times did the audience break out into applause? I think I counted 5. my Theater in Texas was packed with black folks of all ages. Good movie!

by Shecodes, a WAOD contributor

There is a little more than a week left in year 2007, so if you haven’t started thinking about your resolutions, it’s definitely time to start!

Last week, I took down my dog-eared ‘2007 resolutions’ paper from last year (I keep it taped to my bathroom mirror). It was a sobering review. It wasn’t that I didn’t keep the resolutions – I finished most of them. The real problem was the nature of the list itself.

My list was comprised exclusively of outward goals – find a new apt, lose 10 lbs, etc. However, it did not include any goals to improve my character – and I now realize that who I am becoming is more important than anything that I accomplish.

Therefore, a few adjustments need to be made internally for Shecodes in 2008. While I made a lot of new friends this year, I also acknowledge that I allowed my anger to unnecessarily hurt the feelings of a couple of people online – and I apologize for that, if you were one of those (few!) people.

Self reflection is a necessary part of growth – and this year I realized something about myself…

On the outside, I’m usually cool, calm, and collected, but underneath it all, I am incredibly angry.

And it’s not that generalized, ‘see a shrink’ kind of anger, either. I know exactly what I’m mad about.

I’m angry about the constant barrage of bad news about black women!! I’m angry that the #1 killer for black women my age is HIV… a completely preventable disease. I’m pissed that there are scores of lonely, desperate black women in church. It ticks me off that hypertension is killing black women off in droves, because many sisters are turning to food for comfort (because comfort sho’ nuff isn’t coming from anywhere else).

I’m angry that some white men think it’s cute to make the term ‘black woman’ synonymous with ‘bitch’, ‘ho’, ‘trick’, and ‘gold-digger’. I am positively apoplectic with rage that some black men collude with them to make it so. The list goes on, but you can fill in the rest.

But I am letting the anger go. Because so far, my anger hasn’t accomplished a darn thing.

So on this day of December 23, 2007, I have resolved to change from being an Angry Black Woman, to becoming a Dangerous Black Woman. I will commit my intelligence, finances, time and energy to making a positive difference for Black women in 2008. I solemnly vow to become a danger to to the reputations of, the livelihoods of, and to the political positions of anyone who stands in the way of Black female progress.

America needs more Dangerous Black Women. We need women of conviction who will not just shake their fist at injustice, but will mobilize, organize, and collaborate with others change our standing in the USA.

So if you are a potentially Dangerous Black Woman, I cordially invite you to participate in our new sister blog, entitled Black Women Vote! for further discussion.

Ok, enough ‘roaring Lioness’ talk.

Jennifer Hudson’s ‘I am Changing’ is my theme song for the year 2008. Shecodes is definitely Changing, y’all.

How about you? Let’s take a breather from venting and become women of vision for a moment. What would you like to see happen in 2008 in your life? What changes will you make to accomplish them? Consider this the “2008 Resolutions” blog post!

by Shecodes, a WAOD contributor

PETA is off the chain. I love that they are uncompromising in their defense of animals. They are crazy, yet effective. So this holiday season, PETA has placed various celebrities committing crimes against the animal kingdom in their Holiday Snow Globe.

Pick a celebrity to put inside PETA’s Holiday Snow Globe for a holiday adventure! Give the globe a shake, and then send the e-card to your friends! PETA

They aren’t just picking on Michael Vick either. Your celebrity options are

• Cold Blooded Colonel Sanders
• Hairy Kate and Trashley, the Olsen Twins
• Pelt Pusher Anna Wintour, Editor of Vogue
• Fur Hag Kate Moss
• Dog Fighter Michael Vick
• Hunter Dick Chaney

Disturbing, yet hysterical. Especially Anna Wintour:

Inside the virtual globe, fearsome opera plays as Anna drifts through a fiery netherworld inhabited by workers in Karl Lagerfeld glasses whose job, it seems, is to skin shrieking animals and toss their carcasses into a massive pile for “pelt pusher” Anna’s future coats. It’s creepy, of course, but it’s still kind of fun to shake the globe and watch “Anna” bounce around in the snow. Until you realize that, whenever she falls, her neck bends at a disturbing angle. New York Magazine

I wonder if they have gotten a gander of Patti Labelle and Mary J Blidge?

My mantra for 2008 may very well be “What would PETA do?” If they are willing to go THERE on behalf of animals, shouldn’t we be willing to at least go halfway there. When was the last time someone appealed to PETA for UNITY?

UPDATE: Thanks to WAOD Reader Tami from the blog What Tami Said, for a link to the documentary “I Am Animal” I definitely need to check it out.

I actually think that PETA’s communications methods are ineffective if their goal is to get people to be sympathetic to animal rights. They definitely know how to get attention and that’s one part of the battle for an activist group. The problem is their tactics often turn people off to their message…Gina, MDC–If either of you want to study PETA in action, there was a documentary that aired on HBO about a month ago called “I Am An Animal.” It told the story of Ingrid Newkirk and PETA. It was generally positive and looked at the origins of the group and some of their campaigns. It did show that some other animal rights activists, including (If I recall) one of the co-founders of PETA, worry that the organization’s antics may be overshadowing what they are trying to say.

Hahaha Tami, Whew Tami! I just read the resources page over at HBO.com and WOW! Just WOW. You should especially read the Personal Reflections of some of their targets. Lots of food for thought going forward. Especially the final two paragraphs of this statement from one of the founders.

Those of you who have followed this blog from the very beginning know that the Universe openly mocks me. I mean, literally, I make plans and vows and the Universe says “Oh really?” and then I am forced to deviate from MY plans. So yesterday was supposed to be a good news show and it was nothing but bad from the start.

First, Blog Talk Radio went crazy and the switchboard got messed up to the first 15 minutes of the show are garbage. Then I talk for about five minutes with the mute . Just DRAMA! Then I finally get it together and WHO is my first caller of the evening? Rev. Kenneth Glasgow.

Don’t know who Rev. Glasgow is? Well, he’s Rev. Al Sharpton’s brother and Yeah, I clowned him yesterday when I said this

“We have invited everybody,” said Kenneth Glasgow, brother of the Rev. Al
Sharpton. “We are here to bring about unity.” SOURCE

Then get rid of the folks causing the disunity. Sidebar – Al Sharpton has a brother? I guess he is Sharpton’s lieutenant. Bout time he appointed one.

BWHAHAHA! So anyway, I don’t know that I have ever had someone that I have criticized call into the show. We had an interesting conversation. It was truly an experience. The volume on the podcast is completely out of wack, so he sounds extremely low, but if you increase your volume when he speaks you should be able to hear. WE ARE EDITING THE AUDIO TO BALANCE OUT THE VOLUME. SO COME BACK LATER TO HEAR THE EQUALIZED SHOW.

I won’t give the details of the conversation because I think some of what was said could potentially be quite harmful to the case, but if you haven’t listened to a single episode of the Black women’s round table, you need to listen to this one. I doubt they gone let him call back in to the show. He was good natured about it all.

At the end of the day, I want justice. I want these people in jail for the rest of their natural lives. I hope we all want that and that the five ring circus that has surrounded this case get reigned in. This should not be a case about a bunch of Black men fighting for who gets to lead whose march. This woman was BRUTALLY ATTACKED. She should be the focus. No, I do not believe that you have to march side by side with Malik Shabazz to indicate your support of Megan Williams.

Merry Christmas Rev. Glasgow!! Your brother finally got his recompense, for me criticizing him for half the year, my GOOD NEWS CHRISTMAS SPECIAL went all wild and wacky! I told Y’all Tiny Tot was going to put a root on me.

If you want to learn more about Rev. Glasgow’s organization, it is called The Ordinary People Society.Do try to be nice if you take it upon yourself to contact the man.