Michael Vick, Dogs and Race

The whole sad saga over NFL quarterback Michael Vick is made even sadder by the "racial" and ethnic divisions over how people are responding to it. It is all so reminscent of the OJ verdict and how the country divided along ethnic lines in their reaction to his acquittal in the criminal trial. I have seen and read reports lately that show once again, whites are overwhelmingly negative in their response and view of Vick, while blacks and hispanics either support him or take a wait and see approach. Again, this goes to show that our views of the world and justice are still colored by our skin tones and our experience of life from within that perspective.

Dog fighting, and the horrible allegations leveled at Vick, is truly sickening and anyone involved in it should indeed be osracized from civilized society as well as paying the price of criminal punishment. And I do understand all those who have judged Vick guilty already. The reports are so overwhelming. So it does seem like he is guilty.

But therein lies where I, like many of the other people of color and others who withhold their judgement, focus our attention. He SEEMS guilty but until he has had his day in court, we believe we have to hold full judgement. I think minorities simply have experienced too much of a rush to judgement used against us to easily fall into that trap and do the same. And ironically, though the judicial system has not historically been on our side, we do believe he deserves a chance to defend himself before the media and leaks decide Vick's future. Even in the case of white athletes, the Duke lacrosee players, we have seen how a rush to judgement can be wrong.

By the way, I do agree with Vick not playing this year, at least until this matter is resolved. But that is only because it will be impossible for his team to focus with such a distraction going on around them. It is fair to the team and the sport. But I also say, give Vick a chance to answer the charges before he his life is ruined. So it seems, when it comes to the justice system, or how quickly someone is assumed innocent or guilty, unfortunately race still does matter.

Death Threats Over Inter-Ethnic Marriage

It is so bizarre to me to think that even in the year 2007, there are people out there so offended by the idea of love and marriage between people of different ethnicities, particularly black and white, that they would call or write in death threats to the couple. But that is exactly what happened over the last few weeks leading up to the wedding this past weekend of a black Boise State football star and his white Boise State cheerleader fiancee, now wife. Apparently, the couple and their families had to hire extra security for their wedding due to these threats. People really do need to get a grip. By the way, thankfully the wedding went off without a hitch.

The only reason lots of people even knew about this pretty normal wedding (in terms of numbers of inter-ethnic marriages) is that the proposal took place on a very big national stage. Immediately following Boise State's incredibly dramatic upset of Oklahoma last year in a nationally televised bowl game, the football star ran to his girlfriend and proposed to her in front of millions of people as the television cameras captured the whole thing. Her acceptance and their subsequent embrace and kiss must have sent shudders through many a racist watching the game or the numerous replays on news shows. I guess it was their worst nightmare, the athletic black sports star taking "their" beloved" white cheerleader, for many the ultimate symbol of the girl everyone wants to marry.

So, many months later, they were still furious. Enough to try to stop it. What nutcases. Congrats to the newlyweds. And to those who couldn't stand the thought, get over it. There is nothing you can do to stop the fact that love across ethnicities is stronger than bigotry.

Some Other Identifier?

I was just thinking, is there some other way for people to categorize themselves without using race or ethnicity? I understand that ethnicity, or skin color, is possibly the most obvious and therefore easiest way to differentiate people. And even as I write this, it occurs to me that this is likely where this whole ethnic identifier mess got started. Groups, or tribes, had to recognize who was not one of their own, and the quickest way to do that, was to notice how they looked. So I get that. But here we are, some thousands of years later, and we are still doing the same old thing. Even as we move to "bi-racial" and "multi-racial" tags, we are still in a sense buying into the main premise that visual ethnic identifiers must still be at the root of how we look at each other. This new, broader category is of course a move forward, but it is still not the detonation of the root problem that in the long run, we must rid ourselves of.

I suppose people will always look for the easiest way, and classifying people by hair color or height just doesn't make sense either. And even more importantly, maybe I'm completely wrong to even think in terms of a new identifier that can replace race or ethnicity. Because isn't the point, to get beyond any classifications or groups? Maybe. But then again, I think people will always find something to base their notion of "other" on. It is just a question of how insidious that basis will be and whether they can do so without placing judgement at the same time. Who knows. Just something to think about.

Passing

I just read an interesting letter in an article online by a bi-ethnic woman (black and white) who ran into the problem of people at her job holding it against her when they found out she was mixed with black. They apparently did not know this because she does not "look black" in that she has green eyes, fair skin and straight hair. So since she never brought up her mixed heritage they assumed she was part of the "all-white" club at this particularly law firm in New Jersey. And some felt she had hoodwinked them by not proclaiming her half black status at the door. How interesting.

This makes me think of two things. One is that people need to learn, and learn quickly, that these days there is a lot more ethnic mixing going on than most know, so it would probably be smart to not make assumptions about what people "are," even when they look like something you assume to be obvious. The second thing is this whole issue of "passing," or pawning oneself off to be something other than what they are, ethnically speaking. That New Jersey woman had no obligation to wear a sign saying, "by the way, I am not all white" nor should she have felt obligated to pronounce it to people. As long as she did not deny that fact or hide it out of shame or some other reason, it sounds like the problem was not hers but the people who made assumptions based on skin color.

The problem was probably that people at that firm had made comments about blacks or other minorities, not realizing she was minority (multi-ethnic) as well. If people would just treat all people with respect then they wouldn't have to worry so much about the language or joke they are about to use with someone, someone who may or may not be what you think they are.

The Half and Half Test

So here is an interesting test I would love to try on people. So imagine this.

Me: (putting on the table a special concoction fruit that is split down the middle and is half apple and half orange) So is this an apple or an orange?

Average Person: Neither. It is half apple and half orange.

Me: (putting on the table a block that is split down the middle and is half wood and half plastic) So is this a block of wood or is it a block of plastic?

Average Person: Neither. It is half and half so it can't be just one.

Me: (pulling out a sheet of paper and two bowls with paint in them, one blue and one yellow) When I combine these two colors, will the combination be yellow or will it be blue?

Average Person: Come on, every kid knows together they would combine to make a different color, green. So it would be neither blue nor yellow anymore.

Me: (pulling out the last items, a picture of a white woman and a black man and also a picture of their biological child) Half black and half white, is the child white or black?

Average Person: Don't be silly. The child is black.

You see what I mean?

History's Role in Identity Pride

This being the 4th of July, I was watching a series on The History Channel or something like that which had a series on the revolutionary war and our fight for independence. Watching the shows I was reminded how easy it is for those of us of color to slip into thinking so little about ourselves. And this is especially poignant to me these days because my son, who is 10 years old now, is very much into history, particularly military stories. So he watched a lot of these kinds of shows. And it is very easy when watching these shows to think the only heroic people are those with white skin. Obviously people of color, black, native american, hispanic, asian, all played significant and often heroic roles in the development of our country. We just have to dig a little deeper sometimes to find those examples since they are not the usual stories featured in books and on television. So as we celebrate this day, we have to remember that it took a rainbow of colors to get us to where we are.

Being Proud of Being Mixed Is Not The Same As Being Ashamed Of One's Ethnicity

I just read a column on an African-American-oriented website by a gentleman who espouses the belief that people who label themselves as "mixed" or "bi-racial" do so primarily because they are ashamed of being whatever the sole ethnicity is that others feel they should claim to be. He referred, for example, to Tiger Woods, who he says should only be labelled black but who is someone who embraces his multi-ethnic heritage instead.

I am not surprised to read this sort of opinion. Even when I write these postings for my blog and write about how proud I am of my multi-ethnic children, I can see how small-minded people might very easily think I must have some shame in simply calling them black, which is what most would prefer to call them. And I also recognize that as I teach them to be proud of all that they are, not just half, that I have to be very careful, even with them, to not give them the impression that simply being labelled black is a bad thing. Because it is not and I know I am personally quite proud of who and what I am and what we, blacks, have contributed to this world.

So I do understand why that columnist feels the way he does, this idea that "bi-racials" are running from something. All I can say is that for all the Mixed people I know, and for me personally, this is far from the truth. Choosing to focus on the multi-ethnic as opposed to the singular racial identity simply is more accurate. And it is more in keeping with how every other community is allowed to identify. Frankly I find it insulting that blacks are the only group that is forced to live by the "one-drop" rule. I am actually more surprised that blacks don't choose to fight this rather than be shackled by it. So it is not about being ashamed of anything that people call themselves bi-racial or mixed, but rather it is about being allowed to accept both parents as equal, it is about living outside of what others try to force us to do out of outdated racist notions, and it is simply about getting beyond stupid classifiers based on skin color, when that should be the least important thing in our lives.

Supreme Court Ruling Complicated In Its Implications

Sorry I have been away so long. You don't want to know about my computer woes. But I am back at it again and hopefully this time I will remain a daily if not semi-daily contributor again.

Well this is as good a day as any to get back in the saddle. Today the Supreme Court, in a split decision, struck down voluntary "race-based" diversity programs at public grade schools. Their ruling essentially says "race" (their word since you know I hate the term and find it a misnomer) cannot be used as a factor for schools as they attempt to implement programs that diversify their student bodies. Conservatives, of course, hail the ruling, while liberals and Democrats have decried it as a slap in the face of the longstanding "Brown V. Board of Education" that essentially destroyed the old separate but equal doctrine.

Now you would think someone who writes a blog based on the notion of "no more race" and getting beyond the concepts of race, would be ecstatic at the Supreme Court ruling. After all, the Court is saying we must stop focusing on race in making decisions about people. Right?

Well, here's the problem with that ruling though. The programs that were used in this case, like many others that will be affected, were rooted in the goal of bringing people together across racial and ethnic boundaries. Which in the long run is exactly what we need to be doing if we are ever going to reach the true point of ignoring race. I agree with those schools in their philosophy based on the belief that getting young people to spend time around each other is the greatest thing we can do to helping them see for themselves that racial and ethnic differences aren't the most important thing. Socializing, playing and learning next to each other goes a lot farther than subjecting people to lectures and preaching racial acceptance.

Now do I recognize the irony of using race to promote a future of no more race? Of course I do. But we sit in such a screwed up, racially-sensitive world right now that sometimes it does indeed require counter-intuitive ideas to get us to where we need to be. And I know this for sure, having the "races" living and being educated in separate worlds does not do anything for a real coming together. So I do believe that we took a step back today. But no matter what the Court has done, I also think the lid is already off he jar for the most part, and this decision won't, in the long run, stop the inevitable that we see occurring.

Another Multi-Ethnic They Want To Label Simply As Black

Ah, the rush to simplify the so-called racial tags. I noticed that once again, people, in this case the media, have been quick to call a celebrity-athlete "black" almost at the same time they acknowledge that he is of mixed ethnic heritage. This time it is relation to internationally known Formula 1 racing phenom Lewis Hamilton.

The media have had to move quickly to label the young British man, as he is considered to be to F1 what Tiger Woods has been to golf, a non-white in a sport dominated by whites, who has risen to the top at a meteoric rate. Indeed what Hamilton has done is nothing short of extraordinary.

He currently leads the standings in F1, which by itself is a feat since he is so new to this top level. But he comes with credentials that are awe-inspiring. In this, his debut year Hamilton has set three Formula 1 records in quick succession. At the 2007 Bahrain Grand Prix, he became the first F1 driver to finish in the top three in his first three F1 championship races. After he finished second at the 2007 Spanish Grand Prix, he became the youngest driver ever to lead the drivers' championship. Hamilton gained his first victory at the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix in June, the fourth youngest to do so. In gaining his first Grand Prix victory in his sixth race, Hamilton became the first driver since Pablo Montayo in 2001 to win a race in his first Formula One season.

Wow. And of course when I heard several news reports on his recent victory and rise to the top of the standings, he was labelled the first black person to do so. Hamilton's being only half black is again too complicated for most. Hopefully, he, like Tiger, will publicly call attention to this error. Being on the world stage as he is, he is in great position to call a few people to task on this all-too-common mis-labeling.

What Will The Future Hold?

I was just thinking about the premise of this blog - no more race - which refers to the future as brought about by all these multi-ethnic people that are becoming more and more the norm. I would hope that their proliferation will mean that racism and the focus on race and skin color will go away at some point when their numbers become the majority, which I do believe will happen some day.

But the thought I was having was wouldn't it be a shame if all that happened after all this is that a new form of discrimination were to occur, one based not on which purity you were, but rather on which ethnicities you were. Something like those mixed with European ancestry and something else, discriminated against those mixed with Asian and something else. Or people thinking they are better because they are Mixed. Or those that will measure how many groups they can lay claim to versus anothe Mixed person. How awful. And I hope this is a nightmare that does not become reality. We all should be diligent to make sure that it doesn't. I don't really believe this will happen though as what I get from most of the multi-ethnic people I know is that they approach the world and people with a much greater sense of acceptance than most others do .So I don't see why this would change.

But strange things do occur. So it is not altogether out of the realm of possibilities that a new form of bigotry could arise. Like the great Star Trek episode where there was a planet of people who were black on one side and white on the other, right down the middle of their bodies. The planet was split into an ugly battle because some had the black on the left side and some had the black on the right side.

Substituting one discrimination for another is not the future I am hoping for.

Blending But Not Losing

As I watch my 8 year-old daughter go through the process of trying to find her place in the world I have noticed that she wants very much to find countries that she can identify with. Which is easy as far as her mother's side is concerned since all she need do is focus on Mexico, since my wife and her family are Mexican-American. While we she knows her other half is African-American, that distinction does not give her a particular country to identify with, only the broader notion of Africa, one of the largest and most diverse continents in the world. So when she asks what country my family is from, all we can say is we don't know for sure, but definitely it is in Africa. You can imagine, the answer does not do a lot for her, when all she wants is to be able to identify a place on the map, which is a big thing to her right now, looking at places on a map and on a globe. Pointing to a wide area is just not as exciting as pinpointing a place and culture. All of this makes me think about a couple of things.

One is how important it is that while we celebrate the blending of ethnicities and cultures we need to also make sure that we do not allow that mixture to become so blended that we forget or don't recognize what came together to make it so. That would be a tragedy. Even multi-ethnic people need a heritage, a culture, or more accurately, heritages and cultures, to be proud of. The beauty of their blending is the expansion of what they are, so we should not let anyone lose anything in the process.

The other thing that comes to mind is the reminder that for blacks, this uncertainty for most of us of exactly where we come from in the world is indeed a hole in our psyches. Sure we know Africa and can be proud of that continent. But African cultures are not at all alike. Northern Africa to South Africa, from Nigeria to Ethiopia, there are some truly unique people, histories and traditions. My Africa may not be, and is likely not, the same as another black person's Africa. It is also true that for blacks, not knowing exactly where we hail from, at least our African sides, is also a perpetual reminder of slavery since that is the reason we do not know from whence we come.

The good news is that Alex Hailey was not the only one to do the work to figure out their African roots. It is possible, though sometimes difficult to figure out our roots on this great continent. I think I owe it to my daughter, and son, to find out, to make it easier for Maria to point to a spot in Africa and say here is where one side of my family traces back to.

Some Upset That Role of "Bi-Ethnic" Woman Went To Angelina Jolie

The latest brouhaha in Hollywood (aside from Paris Hilton and Lindsey Lohan) revolves around Angelina Jolie being tapped for the part of Daniel Pearl's (the slain Wall Street Journal reporter) bi-ethnic (black and white) wife in an upcoming movie. Apparently there is a fair amount of grumbling from some in the black acting community, particularly black female actors, that the part should have gone to a black actress rather than a white woman, or at worse, the role should have gone to a multi-ethnic actress, like Halle Berry or Jennifer Beals.

I have a couple of problems with this notion. First, as a director, I try really hard to fill roles according to "open casting" ideals. In open casting, you try to put the best person in the role regardless of race or ethnic concerns. Of course, this ideal can only work up to a point to be believable for the audience however. For example, I don't pay attention to ethnicity when casting a husband and wife, but if they have a child, and the child is supposed to be biological, then I would be asking too much from the audience if I cast a Korean child in that role. But whenever possible I think Hollywood should try to think outside the box when casting. By doing this, minorities can only benefit since the majority of roles are indeed written with whites in mind. I think of Louis Gossett who took on the famous role in "Officer and a Gentleman" though the role was intended for a white actor originally.

Now when we are talking about an historical or real person, then again, there are limitations without causing the audience to step out of the world of make-believe. Which may be why some are focused on this role. But that brings me to my second disagreement with those who say Angelina should not have done the role. If Mrs. Pearl was half black and half-white, then to say that only a black person can play her is ignoring the fact that she is equally white so therefore a white woman has as much right to play the role as a black actress.

Now there is the argument that says then at least give the role to a bi-ethnic woman. But here again, that is such a limiting way to cast. And a mindset that in the long-run will not do minorities any good since it is saying in essence that the only person that should get a role is someone that fits the original writer's perception of a character.

I say let Angelina do her thing. But I also say, let's hope that the attention she will get in doing this part, will draw more focus on the idea of open-casting. I'm not naive enough to think that this is a given, but if we want others to accept different types in casting, then we have to be willing to accept it too. And don't get me wrong, I am well aware of the difficulty black women have in getting good parts in Hollywood. I just believe that in the long run, the only way to broaden the field for them, and others, is to push open casting whenever it is legitimately doable.

Racism's Roots

I saw a really interesting video on YouTube the other day. It was a young girl singing the dictionary. That's right. She was going through the dictionary, word by word (not the whole thing of course) and singing it. It was absolutely amazing to tell you the truth. It shows how incredibly talented she is that it is was absolutely entertaining and well sung. Imagine what she could do with a song with actual lyrics. The video is apparently one of the most viewed right now and is getting a lot of play. Hopefully it leads to something for her.

But wouldn't you know it, stupidity and racism had to rear its ugly head. I was reading some of the many comments from viewers, most of them amazed and praising her, but a few idiots found their way in. Some pretty awful racist stuff was said about the young lady and African-Amercans for absolutely no other reason than the fact that some people couldn't deal with the young woman's talent and they saw an opportunity to be ugly.

This shows me again that most of the time people say or do things like these people did, it is because deep down they are afraid and intimidated. Had the young lady been doing something that did not require talent, odds are they would not have made any comments. But it was because she is so talented, they clearly felt less than and felt the need to try to bring her down.

Thankfully, most of the commenters praised the girl and her talent and could see through the idiots who tried to denigrate her and what she did. Jealousy and fear are proving to be the real roots of racial stupidity.

Here is a link to the young lady's video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=JhbyLnCi2rQ

One Big Family

My wife and I had another smile-inducing experience yesterday. We attended a spring festival at our kids' new school in Burbank. And once again, we were simply amazed at the multicultural and multi-ethnic mix we saw. Again, giving us that joyous recognition that the world as we know it is changing very fast - in a good way.

This particularly elementary school's demographics are about one-third white, one-third Hispanic, and one-third Asian, black, Indian, and other ethnicities, including multi-racial. But interestingly, even within the "white" one-third, what is considered white is not typical. In this area a very large portion of that number are ethnic immigrants from Armenia and Russia. American "whites" are actually a small number within that group. The principal of the school told us some 31 languages are spoken in the homes of the children who attend this public school. How cool is that. So you can imagine the beauty of the playground yesterday. To these kids "race" was definitely not a reality. Culture certainly was, but that is not a bad thing. It was also beautiful because the school kids, the 1st and 2nd graders, then the 3rd, 4th and 5th graders, did a hip hop dance performance that was really well done. So here you had all these ethnicities dancing together to largely black American hip hop music. That is what life should be about. That kind of blending of groups and cultures.

Celebrating All That We Are

The recent Cinco de Mayo festivities was a great opportunity for our family to get out and have our kids celebrate one side of their multi-ethnic heritage. Our daughter particularly, takes great pride in her Mexican side and she certainly showed it by proudly waving and carrying her Mexican flag during the festival we went to in downtown Los Angeles this past weekend. It was good to see that she recognizes that component of who she is because though there will be others who will try to get her to deny that she anything other than black, she knows her mother and her heritage is as much from that culture as my side. And she knows her Mom and I very much want to make sure she celebrates all that she is and not just half.

Of course the challenge for us as parents is to make sure that she does not try to make a conscious decision to "be" just one thing over another, whether that is to be only black or to be only Mexican-American. Because not only would that be erroneous but it will also lead her to heartache as she will surely be challenged on such a notion more than a few times. My wife and I have made a conscious effort to get the kids to cultural events from both sides of their heritage and to make sure they are learning history that they can be proud of. So far it seems to be working. We expect there will be times where we, and they, will be challenged, but such is the process of raising well-adjusted kids.

Rush Limbaugh's Parody On Obama

You know I haven't paid much attention to Rush Limbaugh in quite sometime. It seems to me that his influence has waned significantly in recent years and he is but a shadow of his old self. But today I heard for the first time his musical parody about Barack Obama. The parody, called "Barack The Magic Negro" is sung to the tune of "Puff The Magic Dragon" and is sung by someone who is supposed to be singing as if he were Al Sharpton. It is an incredibly stupid thing to do and once again proves why Limbaugh is no longer someone to be taken seriously. It is also another sign of how people have no idea how to deal with someone like Obama.

The song is as much a dig at Sharpton as it is at Obama, which again shows how people like Rush think since in his mind, the two men are obviously linked. To Obama's credit by the way, he said he was not disturbed by the song and that he did not take such things seriously. That kind of brush-off is exactly how we all need to respond to people like Limbaugh who in the end are clearly threatened by people like Obama and what they stand for.

If you have not heard this ditty try this link: http://movies.crooksandliars.com/rush-barak.mp3

Which Continent or Country Has The Worst Racism?

If you get a chance and it is still there, please click on the video clip to the left regarding European racism and soccer. It is both fascinating and scary at the same time. It makes me wonder, which still has the furthest to go, our country or Europe. Judging by the clip and some of the blatant examples that are shown, it seems that no matter how bad things might be over here, they are much worse in Europe. One point that is made in the clip is that this may be due to the fact that Europe never had a Civil Rights Movement to force it to deal with such things. I have never been over there and it makes me wonder if I want to go. Though I also think we should not judge the behavior of the general population by the antics of rowdy, rabid sports fans. But then again, these people are part of the society.

Ironically, watching such a report makes me really appreciate the United States. Because even if we don't have it completely right yet, we as a country, do try very hard to be better. Look at what happened with Don Imus. I'm not sure much would have happened in Europe if he had said what he did on the air there.

Interracial, Mixed, Bi-racial, Multiracial - What Is Proper?

I've noticed that different people, even within the Mixed community, have a hard time deciding what is the best way to refer to people who come from parents of different ethnicities. Some say Mixed. Some say bi-racial. Some say multiracial. Some say Interracial. Some like me, try very hard to stay away from any word that uses as its basis "race" since we do not like perpetuating the notion that we are different races instead of just different ethnic groups. So you will notice I tend to say Mixed or bi-ethnic most of the time. But I agree with those who say "bi" anything is also a misnomer since most all of us, including those who see themselves as one thing, are also mixed with other things in our past, even if not in our immediate parents. So folks from this school prefer multiracial or multi-ethnic. I guess that does make the most since, so now that I think about it I am going to switch to saying that instead of bi-ethnic.

All of this is a good problem. Because if we are even at the point of having to choose a name to describe this growing and glorious group, it means there are enough people out there to make it an issue. And generally speaking, I am for each person being able to decide on their own how they choose to label themselves or their family. I am not for anyone dictating what we say. But I do hope that people can in time drop the racial component since in the end, that is what separates us, this idea that there is something as rigid as race between us. What separates us is much more fluid and certainly less real than most imagine it to be. So call it what you will. And enjoy the fact that we have reached a point of having such a "problem" anyway.

Kudos Again To Television

Score another one for television. I saw the premiere last night of the new reality show, “The Real Wedding Crashers” and was pleasantly surprised to see that the very first couple featured on the show was an inter-ethnic couple – black and white. Kudos to the producers of the show for being unafraid to have such a mix on the highly important very first episode. And I applaud their handling of the cross ethnic relationship in that they didn’t handle it at all. Not one thing was said for the entire hour of the show about their different skin tones. It was also a joy to see that the large number of people at the wedding were equally from both sides of the spectrum and showed that there need not be any reason to question the love of these two people nor any reason to treat this marriage any differently than any other.

I take note of these television events because like it or not, television is in every home and does play a large part in impacting our public consciousness. So whenever an episode like last night occurs, it is, in my opinion, something to be noted and to applaud. At least until such a thing is so very common that it passes completely unnoticeably. That day will come sooner or later.

The South Holds On Tight

This weekend my wife and I saw the most jaw-dropping news report on television. It was a story about a high school in Georgia (unfortunately I don’t remember which city) that was, for the first time ever, having an integrated prom. Oh yeah, you read that right. For the FIRST TIME EVER.

My wife and I were in a state of shock. We really didn’t even know what to say when we saw the news report. And not knowing what to say is very rare for us. It is just that in the year 2007, who would think there was a place where separation of the ethnic groups was still even going on. The report seemed so out of place.

In the report they interviewed some of the students who all seemed to say that the time had finally come to do this revolutionary thing. Oh wow. These kids were actually saying this as if they thought it was forward-thinking to be taking this step. And believe me; I applaud the kids for doing this, however late it is. But what does it say about their world that they would just now be coming to this conclusion? And according to the school administration, segregated proms were not school sanctioned but something the students had chosen to do over the years. But frankly, that is a cop-out by the adults in that city. Clearly they sanctioned this outdated duality and indeed the kids must have been getting their segregationist tendencies from somewhere.

But without indicting the entire South, this kind of report really makes you wonder about what life must be like in certain segments of this region of the country. A first ever integrated prom in the year 2007. Has that town been living under a glass bowl or what?

A Message For The White Majority

For today's post I am copying for you a story that appeared in The Daily Times, a Delaware newspaper. I came across the posting in the related news section that appears to the left on this page. But in case you miss it or it is gone by the time you read this, I wanted to make sure you read it because it is an important piece, not just for the intended audience, but for all of us.

A message for the white majority: We can overcome our racist history
By Joyce Mullins

It's sad that as we commemorate the 60th anniversary of Jackie Robinson's first game in major league baseball we must face the incontrovertible fact that America is still a racist nation. We -- and by "we" I mean the white majority of us -- can't seem to wash away the stain of our slave-holding history. It's more than skin deep, as is our fear of people of color.

We're racists not simply because Don Imus felt confident he would get laughs when he dredged Rutgers University's women's basketball team through the dirt in his own mind.
It's because it took CBS and MSNBC days -- not hours, but days -- to get Imus and his show, "Imus in the Morning" off the air.

It's that the big, white power boys of the American media thought it was OK to ignore the racist slurs in the banter Imus enjoyed with Bernard McGuirk, executive producer of the show and Sid Rosenberg, Imus' former sports announcer who was filling in that morning.
It's that the networks didn't have the backbone to act until AFTER sponsors started pulling out. Only money -- or the loss of it -- had the power to make these overgrown, overpaid playground bullies do the right thing.

Kudos to the sponsors, I guess. There's no way to be sure that they intended to take away the financial underpinnings of the show for the right reasons. Maybe they stepped up only because someone realized that the color of money is green and it doesn't work any differently coming from the wallet of a white person or a black person.

I hate to be such a skeptic, but where were the sponsors back when Rosenberg referred to tennis star Venus Williams as an "animal?"

If any closet, or for that matter any openly, racist readers feel tempted to justify the Imus exchange because of the disgusting, woman-hating language used by this or that rap star, just don't bother. As my late mother so eloquently preached, "Two wrongs don't make a right." There are no excuses for racism, not for grownups. Hating someone because they look different from us is so intellectually and emotionally lazy. We aren't born with hate in our hearts. As the song from "South Pacific" says, "You have to be carefully taught to hate all the folks your relatives hate."

So how do we stop handing down this ugly lesson?

I've always thought the public schools could do a lot more than the lick-and-a-promise kind of cultural teaching that's done. I didn't get to be the mommy in a bi-racial family without the help of my parents. It wasn't easy for southerners and I did start school in segregated Virginia. My dad anticipated that I might have some overcoming to do that first morning of my new fourth grade in integrated Pennsylvania. He said something simple and reassuring about looking for things that might be similar about the "little colored children" I was about to meet.

Before anyone leaps to the wrong conclusion -- "colored" was politically correct in 1949!

When I came home from school that day, I happily reported that the "little colored girl who sat next to me wore a dress exactly like mine!"

I wholeheartedly recommend my father's advice for us all.

Letting Others Define Who You Are

I read an interesting article recently on Halle Berry, one of my favorite actors by the way, where she talked a little about how she defines herself ethnically speaking. In the piece, she echoed something I heard Barack Obama, another Mixed - black and white - person, say once. She said she generally defines herself as black despite having a white mother because unless she wore a sign proclaiming her Mixed heritage, no one would see her as anything other than black. Again, I have heard this before, this notion that since people will see you, and treat you, as black, you are de facto black, so no point in proclaiming anything else. Now while I understand the logic, and agree that as far as my bi-ethnic kids are concerned, I would be remiss in not preparing them for what others will perceive them to be, I have for the most part, a huge disagreement with a concept that says you are only what others perceive.

Without a doubt, most people will judge bi-ethnic kids by what their predominant outer appearance is. But therein lies one problem. Bi-ethnic kids can look totally different so in essence we are saying forget their genetics and go by the darkness or lightness of skin, or the straightness or curliness of their hair, or the thickness or thinness of their nose, or by the way they carry themselves I suppose. So two bi-ethnic kids, say Asian and black, could, by this logic, be either black or Asian, depending upon whether their eyes were more Asian or American, or their skin darker or lighter. Unless of course you subscribe to the "one-drop rule" and simply say they are black regardless of how Asian they may look. And I have seen some blacks who "pass" for white or Latino. So by this logic are they white or Latino? See how silly this concept is?

But besides the silliness, my biggest problem with this notion of defining yourself based on what others perceive you to be is that it strips a person of all power to decide for themselves how they choose to identify. This is not to mention the danger of letting other, bigoted or ignorant, people tell you who you are when they know nothing about you but the exterior shell. The minute you let others dictate who you are, prepare yourself to be far less than your full self, and this goes for any and all of us, not just bi-ethnic people.

Now with that being said, being perceived as black or something else, should not be cause for alarm or shame. Indeed hopefully Halle, Barack, my kids, and all the other bi-ethnic children and people in the world, respond to this "you are what I perceive you to be" mentality with a pride in whichever ethnicity they are labelled as, and respond to it with a hearty "yes I am that and proud of it." Because to say anything more to someone who tries to classify you like that, will only come across as defensive or ashamed of that side of who you are. And yet, in responding to such a classification that way, bi-ethnic people should also not let it cause them to forget that though others may only see one-half of who they are, that is that person's problem, not theirs. And it is definitely too bad they cannot see ALL that you are because you are not half a person, even if others cannot visibly see that or have a hard time accepting or dealing with it. What other see walking down the street is all too often a matter of their hangups and history. How sad to let those people tell you who you are and what you should be.

Rap and Sexism

I am a big fan of rap music. Always have been since the early days of Afrika Bambaata and The Sugar Hill Gang. I think rap music and its influence on popular music of all kinds, as well as on world culture in general, are part of a the continuing contribution of black culture to the world. I also believe that some of the best rappers rap on subjects and issues that are deep and meaningful, and that they do have something important to say about social and other issues. Take a listen, a real listen if you don't know what I'm talking about, to "In The Ghetto" by Two Short, or almost anything by A Tribe Called Quest, or 'Jesus Walks" by Kanye West or even "Dear Momma" by Tupac. I could go and on. And if you doubt the influence of rap and hip hop on other forms of music, listen closely to Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Fergie, Gwen Stefani or any number of mainstream artists.

Now with that being said, that does not mean I like all rap music and artists. That would be silly. Any more than someone who likes rock and roll being expected to like all rock and roll songs or artists. Rap definitely has within it a segment, generally referred to as the gangsta or thug side, that is incredibly objectionable to me. I do not and cannot listen to that stuff. No doubt Imus and the others who are using this whole Imus affair as an opportunity to get on rappers and their awful language and message, have a point that there are those in the rap business who exploit and demean women. This segment oftentimes also condones violence and the ghetto lifestyle like it is something to look up to.

But while I disagree with and do not choose to listen to this vile stuff, I do not expect nor believe we can stop people from putting out this category of music, or some from buying it. Nor do I think we have the right to stop it. The difference between Imus and gangsta rap is people can choose to purchase what they want. It is a buying decision. And yet I think the public airwaves, radio or free television, are not the places for it to aired to the public, simply because it is indecent and does ultimately do harm to people, if only in a secondary way. Imus spewed his venom on the public airwaves. If he finds a way to make a living saying the same thing through the private market, then I have no issue. I don't believe we as a society should police everything people say. As long as it is not publicly backed or supported, stupidity should be allowed.

I think this whole debate in the aftermath of Imus is good though. I just don't want people to put all rap under this umbrella of degradation because that would be unfair and incorrect. Like everything else, there is good and bad in rap music. The bad, as much as I dislike it, has a right to exist as long as there are people who choose to support it. It just doesn't have a right to be out there in the public space where anyone can inadvertently come across it. I do wish those men (and women) who rap about the degrading things they do (and put out the videos they do) would make smarter choices. But we, as a society, cannot force people to be smart or enlightened. We just have to make sure their stupidity is contained to appropriate places where those of us who prefer not to listen to it do not have to.

Imus In The Morning

Don Imus has got to go. By now you have likely heard about the latest controversy surrounding Don Imus. If you haven’t, here is a synopsis. Last week on the air he referred to the women of the mostly black Rutgers women’s basketball team as a bunch of “nappy headed ho’s” sparking days of apologies as well as the requisite protests and speeches from many black leaders including Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who have called for his immediate resignation. In response his station, as of this posting, has decided to suspend the shock jock for two weeks, which is, in my opinion, like that of many others, not enough of a punishment.

I am not a fan of censorship. Nor do I think everyone who says something stupid on the air should be fired. But in the case of Imus, this is not the first time. He has said other stupid, racist, sexist, and generally ignorant things on the air over his many years on the airwaves. At some point, enough is enough and I think this is enough, particularly when you’re talking abut federally regulated airwaves. Were Imus on satellite radio, like Stern, then I would give him more room for his idiocy. But these are public airwaves where he spews these hurtful statements and in that context it should not be allowed. He should be fired immediately.

This morning Imus appeared on The Today Show in an effort to further defend himself, but in doing so, he may have hurt himself even more. In an interesting strategy, he went on the offensive and made the point that while he had no right to use the word “ho’s” as a white man, he said the most common users of this word were black men who were the worst offenders at disrespecting black women. What an interesting strategy. It won’t get him off the hot seat. Nice try.

But with that being said, on this point, Imus is right on target. Black (and Latino) rappers frequently use this word, and many worse ones, in some of the popular raps being gobbled up by record buyers. And Imus is right; the word was largely the invention of blacks. Jesse and Al will not however spend as much energy challenging the immensely popular hip-hopsters as they do Imus for his use of the word. It would be too touchy a battle for them. It is easier to go after Imus since he is white and he violated the code that says though we can talk disparagingly about ourselves, you cannot if you are not part of the community. The “N” word is the same way. Rappers and some blacks use that word all the time, but boy don’t let Kramer think he can use it. It doesn’t work that way. Or at least that seems to be the code.

By the way, Imus’s offensive defense ignores what may have been as equally offensive in his rantings about the Rutger’s team, calling them “nappy headed.” His new strategy ignored that part of his statement entirely. At least for now, until he can find a rap or something where he can say he learned that from black people.

A Special Day For All of Us

Forgive me all you non-sport fans out there, but I cannot pass up the importance of a special day coming up this week on the sporting calendar. And actually, the more I think about it, the importance of this day, April 15th, and this milestone, is about so much more than sports. So actually whether you are a sports fan or not, this post is about something that has impacted your life as well, no matter what age you are, where you live, or what color your skin is.

This is home opening week at Dodger Stadium, the home of my Los Angeles Dodgers. But that is not what’s significant, at least not for most of you. This Sunday, the entire team, along with many other players around baseball, will pay tribute to one very special man who this week some sixty years ago changed not only the face of baseball and all sports forever, but who also changed the face of what America accepted as possible. For this game, every single member of the Dodgers, the team that had the guts and the sense to hire Jackie, will wear a jersey with the number 42, the number worn by the great Jackie Robinson, the first black person to break the color barrier in the major leagues, and the first person to prove that all people deserve a chance to prove themselves.

If you have never read anything about Jackie Robinson, do yourself a favor and find an article or a book on this true gentleman. Jackie Robinson was not only a great athlete, he was a great American and human being and his story is an inspiration for us all. It is debatable whether Jackie was the best ever at what he did on the major league baseball field. It is even arguable whether he was the best of the black baseball players of his era since so many others were not allowed to play in the majors, being relegated to the old Negro League. But what is undeniable about the man, and why I can’t help but hold him up so high, is that he hit those pitches, caught those line drives, ran those bases, with the weight of an entire ethnic group on his shoulders, and the eyes and often-times mental daggers of many in the white community, staring him down at the same time. And through it all, Jackie Robinson was pure class and always a gentleman. If you, no matter your gender or ethnicity, do not realize that when Jackie took the field he made life better for all of us, then you don’t really understand our society at all.

So today I, like the Dodgers later this week, salute Jackie Robinson. And I have even greater respect for my favorite baseball team for having the class to pay such a tribute to him this week. Go Blue!

A Truly Double-Edged Sword

The most recent edition of Sports Illustrated features a very interesting article regarding the 50th anniversary of the Little Rock Nine, as the nine brave black students were called, and the integration of Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas back in 1957. The reason the article is in Sports Illustrated is because the story is actually about the little known story of the boys on what was then considered to be possibly the best high school football team in the country, obviously an all-white one, and how the events swirling around Central High impacted their lives and their quest to extend a record win streak. It is an interesting look at another side of this historical event and what the writer tries to get across, and does to some degree, is how hard it was for so many of the white kids during this time of just wanting to fit in and be accepted, to do anything but keep their mouths shut and go along with the sentiment of the crowds clamoring for blood outside the school. Indeed this had to be incredibly difficult for these young boys, who certainly did not want to end up on the wrong side of the anger of the throngs of adults, including their own parents, threatening anyone who dared change their way of life. The underlying question being how many of us, especially as teens, would have stood up and taken a stand against that level of hatred, when the safest tack was to do nothing.

It is an interesting question. There is a part of me that agrees wholeheartedly with the writer and his clear sympathies with those boys whose historical football feat was being overshadowed by the political and social upheaval going on around integration and the troops patrolling their school grounds. And yet, it is also hard to overlook a situation where people, of any age, turn a blind eye to not only injustice but outright brutality. And let's be not mistaken, what the Little Rock Nine endured was brutality pure and simple. Frankly it is hard to feel a great amount of sympathy for a ruined football season, when you see pictures of little girls walking through legions of military troops with guns at the ready, all surrounded by crowds clamoring for their life, literally.

And at the same time reading the article does remind me that the stupidity of racism does not just hurt the object of the venom, but also the people who spew it and act on it, as well as all of the people who do nothing to step up and try to make a difference. There is no doubt that the young men of that football team were harmed tremendously by the outrageous and vicious bigotry that they witnessed from their own parents and neighbors. They were harmed not only because racism is a contagious sickness that many of them fell victim to, but also they were harmed because for those who choose to stand by and do nothing, to go along with the crowd, or even to stand in the shadows and keep a low profile, there is no escaping the deep, impossible to ignore knowledge, whether admitted or not, that what was going on at that time, was simply not right. Proof of the damage done even in this way was evident in many of the old men interviewed for the piece, who to this day were haunted not by what they had done, but more importantly by what they had not done, had not said, to either be a friend to one of those black children who so needed a friend, or said to any of their own peers who did take active roles in making the simple act of getting a decent education so difficult for any of those nine innocent children.

But do not get me wrong, I do have empathy for people caught in situations like this. And I do believe it is especially difficult for teens. But even when it comes to my own kids, I have to tell you, I intend to make sure they understand that the bar is high when it comes to stepping up and doing the right thing in the face of injustice. The stakes are just too high, not only for them but for all of us. Stepping up is indeed hard, but not stepping up is a cop out. We all have much too much at stake.

Bi-Racial Miss USA

I almost forgot to comment on the fact that our new Miss USA, Rachel Smith, is Mixed, half black and half white. And what a beautiful example she is of what inter-ethnic relationships can produce. She is just another example of the onward march of this new generation of Americans who will pave the way for what we define as race in this country. How fitting that she takes on this role at the same time we have a Mixed ethnicity man running for President. Get ready people, times are changing whether the racists like it or not.

I also read where the controversy over what to label Ms. Smith began almost immediately. Apparently Jet Magazine, a staple in the black community, wrote an article on her days after her victory proudly proclaiming her to be the latest black woman to win the crown. Funny how quick they were to claim her. And I came across another blog where there was a spirited debate regarding whether she should be called black or not. Thankfully many of the responses made the point that she should be called what she is, Mixed or bi-racial, and more importantly, American. Because as her victory attests, and Obama's ascendancy as well, being American is becoming more and more synonymous with being multi-ethnic. In time, that may well come to be the very definition of American. Wouldn't that be great?

Asian-Americans The Most Common And Accepted Mix

While most of the time when speaking of inter-ethnic relationships and children people tend to think of the black and white combination, actually the group that is most likely to date and inter-marry outside their ethnic group is Asians and Asian-Americans. And overwhelmingly, when Asians get involved outside their community, it is with whites. And for whatever reason, it is also the mix that is likely to generate the least attention or disapproval.

From stories I have heard and read, Asian-Americans are actually intermarrying at an incredibly high rate. So much so that there is alarm for some in that community. More often than not this is an Asian woman marrying a white male. Rarely is that the other way around. Why this is, I am not sure, but maybe it has something to do with the stereotypes of the modest Asian woman. But that is speculation on my part. Ironically with blacks, it is the other way around, where it is the male who is more likely to be the one involved in an inter-ethnic relationship. Again, I am not sure why this is and can only guess that maybe it grows out of the man typically being the one to take the lead in pursuing relationships. And yet that theory does not explain why black women are not choosing, in similar numbers, to date outside their group when the opportunity presents itself. I suppose the answers to these questions are best left to social scientists.

But what mere observation attests to is that there seems to be some reason that Asian-Americans intermarry so frequently compared to other groups, and why such relationships, and the children who grow out of them, tend to cause so few ripples. Of course I am glad to see that this is the case. I only think about it because maybe there is some lesson or guidance there that could help build acceptance of the other inter-ethnic combinations as well. Something to think about.

The Sexual Component

O.K., parental advisory, today's blog is not for youngsters. It is an adults only posting.

Today I want to chat about the sexual component of interracial dating. For many people interracial dating is about sex. This is probably rooted in sexual curiosity, stereotypes, and the long-standing taboos against it. If you don't believe how big a component of interracial ideas this is, just type in the word "interracial" into your web browser's search bar and notice how many porn and sex-oriented sites come up versus sites dedicated to loving relationships that fit this category. Frankly I even had to drop using Google Adsense, Google's ad software that can be placed on these blogs which basically work by searching for keywords in your postings and generating ads that might be appropriate for your site. Well that is a great concept and I'm sure works wonderfully for most blogs. But since race and interracial relationships clearly come in any keyword search on mine, I found myself having to constantly try to block ads that related to interracial sex or dating ads. I gave up. If I can figure out a way around that I may try again though, just to see if it is possible to attract ads that are more focused on love and relationships, as opposed to the old sexual taboo and all attracted by it.

Maybe in a way, it's not such a bad thing that so many people are attracted to interracial or inter-ethnic dating, because of sexual curiosity or attraction. I guess for many relationships, a physical attraction is the initial magnet anyway. And maybe for some of those drawn only by that physical component, they will eventually get past that and learn to see the other person for more than what they represent it, and grow to see them for who they are.

And yet, of course, it is also true that if all a person sees in another is the skin color or ethnicity, and that is what the attraction is rooted in, especially if it is sexual, then that can be a huge barrier to realizing that that person you are in bed with is more than just a physical thing and that they can be respected for something more. After all, many men have proven the ability to objectify women without respecting them as real people at the same time.

All I know is that it is certainly disappointing to realize that for many people, when they see an inter-ethnic couple, their perception is that the relationship must be rooted in sexual curiosity rather than real love. But as I said before, while I wish it were possible to look up "interracial" without all the sex links, maybe I should accept it as a good thing that while on the surface many people still seem to have a problem with such relationships, and yet under cover (pun intended) many are obviously attracted to and curious about such couplings.

Hey, whatever floats your boat I guess.

Brown Is The New Black

One of the greatest beauties of the Hispanic culture, and something I personally admire about this ethnic group, is its diversity. Within the umbrella category that is Hispanic is a wide range of skin colors, hair textures and facial features. Indeed to many unknowing people, Hispanics are only brown-skinned people. But a quick trip to Cuba, South America, or even Mexico would shatter that notion. I have seen Mexicans who are far darker than me, as well as Mexicans who to anyone looking at them, could only be described as white. And these are not Mexicans of African or European descent per se. Just the varying degrees of skin tone found in the general population of that country, more often than not due to the level of native blood in their veins as well as the socio-economic levels from which they and their families come from. Which is not to say that there aren't Mexicans of African or European descent because there most certainly are.

Cuba, Puerto Rico and many South American countries are more readily known for their large populations of black Hispanics. That was one of the great things about living in New York City, running into so many Blacks who were Spanish-speaking and who were proud of their interesting mix of cultures. Texas, the Southwest and California are more dominated by the Mexican culture and having grown up in this part of the world, you realize that for most Mexicans, being black and Mexican (or Hispanic) was not part of the generally known or accepted worldview. Whereas Puerto Ricans, Dominicans and Cubans accept the mixture, for example, most Mexicans don't. I am not sure why this is, particularly considering, as I have learned from two of my favorite historians out of Austin, Texas, that Mexico has a proud history of siding with Black Americans during the Civil War and on the slavery issue.

All of this is to say that as the father of two Black Mexican-American kids, I think they have much to be proud of, from both cultures. And considering that both cultures, at least the Hispanic one, if not the Mexican one, cast a large shadow under the umbrella that defines them, I don't think our kids will have any problem accepting that they are both, because when you look at images of just who is Hispanic and who is considered Black, it is not at all unusual to see many people who fit in both categories.

Who's More Racist?

I just thought about something I have heard on at least two occasions that I find to be incredibly ridiculous. It was said, by different people on different occasions, that black people cannot be racist since we have no power.

What an incredibly silly, and erroneous, concept. I was reminded of this idea, harbored by not a few people, because of someone I saw on a talk show who clearly held a similar viewpoint. While the technical definition of racism may well include the notion of power coupled with bigotry, the common idea, and therefore the practical definition of a racist is simply someone who bases their perception of other people, and therefore their actions toward them, on their racial or ethnic make-up. And under that concept, believe me, I have met quite a few black racists. Indeed, I would put some of the black racists I have met on level footing with some of the white ones I have encountered or heard of.

Bigotry and stupidity are not owned by whites. While they have certainly been in a better position to enact hardships on those who they perceive as less than, it is unfortunate but true that many minorities have adopted mirrored beliefs and behaviors, and for those that have, I have no doubt they would act no differently if given the power and opportunity to demonstrate their biases.

Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder

I haven't been lazy this past week. Nor have I run out of things to write about. Frankly I've just been crazy busy. I wanted to let you know I'm still here and will get back on my regular musings starting again tomorrow. In the meantime, keep on keeping on.

Foreign Adoption

Many of you may have heard or read about Angelina Jolie's and Brad Pitt's latest adoption addition to their family. I am a fan of Angelina's and applaud her humanitarian efforts as I truly think she takes on the projects she does, as well as these adoptions, not for any publicity, but to truly make a difference in the world. But with that being said, I do wonder why she and Brad, who frankly I think is just along for the ride on her work here, do not seem to want to adopt any of the many minority children that are available and in need of good homes right here in America.

There has to be some reason.

Obviously any ideas I could suggest would be pure speculation and possibly unfair, so I will refrain from guessing. But it is certainly interesting to watch her fly halfway around the world to adopt a needy child, much like Madonna did, and like many other less well-known people do, and ignore the needy faces right across town, in their own backyard.

Again, I applaud anyone who adopts a kid, from anywhere. Because that is one less child without parents and a family. I just wish I knew why it was more interesting, more in vogue, especially for celebrities, to adopt a child overseas when the domestic child is still waiting.

Television: A Barometer For Views On Race

"The Hollywood Reporter," the movie industry daily trade magazine, featured an interesting column this week regarding Black leads being absent from network dramas. The column made the point that comedies were different for viewers since they were laughing with or at the characters and therefore, I suppose, people could accept black leads in those situations. But dramas were a different matter since they were more like real life. There were three interesting quotes in the article that I think say a lot about the state of "race" relations in this country.

The first quote is from a TV historian, Tim Brooks:

There is a feeling that the vast majority of the audience is not black, and
having a black lead dominating the show makes most viewers feel shut out since
they don't work with an African-American in a dominant position in their daily
life.

The next quote is from David Simon, the creator of HBO's "The Wire" which does have a largely black cast:

There s a certain portion of the audience that will change the channel...Not in any grandly venal, racist way, but there are a lot of people that are going to look at that many black faces looking at them, and they're going to say, "This is not my story."

And the last quote I want to reference is again from the TV historian, Brooks:

...for a series, it's about characters you want in your home on a weekly basis. It's a very intimate, casual viewing experience, and you tend not to invite somebody into your home who you wouldn't mix with socially.

There you have it. Taken together this is a pretty sad commentary on the openness of the majority, in this case they would be referring to the majority being white homes. But you know what? And keep in mind, this inability to relate to others in leading roles on television shows (and movies) is not just a black and white issue. How many Hispanics do we see leading TV dramas? How many Asians or Middle-Easterners? Ironically, I have to say that minorities are better at accepting whites in leading dramatic roles. But that would have to be because if we didn't we wouldn't have much to watch on TV.

Unfortunately this is indeed mainly an issue that we have to get the white majority to get over somehow. And this does not just apply to television. My wife and I have experienced where a movie we were working on was considered a "black movie" simply because the majority of the cast is black, though nothing about being black ever comes up in the movie at all. Again, it is that unfortunate act of labelling that is so prevalent in our society. It makes me think of how in Buddhist training the emphasis of getting beyond labels is greatly stressed because the labels trap us. Once I identify you by a label, I have already made a decision about how you and I relate. Which cannot help us ever truly connect since our connection or interaction is based on labels and our perceptions of those labels.

If these television experts are correct in their analysis, it means we minorities had better be patient about securing our equality and goal of being judged by the content of our character and not by the color of our skin. Because for now it seems, for the majority, all it takes is seeing the color of the leads on a television show to decide that there is nothing for them to relate to.

Pictures Speak More Than Words

Today's post is quite simple because these two remind me why I write what I do and why those of us who understand what is at stake must keep working to wake people to the stupidity of race. What you see here, and in the faces of other bi-ethnic kids, isn't just the future, it is the present.

"One Drop Rule" Won't Go Easily

I am careful not to talk too much about Senator Obama, not because he is not worthy of discussion but because it would be too easy to talk about him almost every day. I have said previously that his candidacy excites me mostly because our country will have no choice but to deal with the issue of "racial" classifications due to his being the first Mixed person to reach such a high level. But I have also realized just how difficult it will be for people to drop the awful habit of classifying any person that is half black as simply black, despite the other 50% of their ethnic make-up. It is a historical blight that seems to be completely woven into the American fabric, even amongst people who should know better.

I say this because in the last week or so I have seen at least three articles on Obama that almost in the same sentence that they refer to his African father and white mother from Kansas, they go on to describe him as possibly the first black President. While since he is indeed half black, it could be argued that is accurate to describe him as black if only in reference to his being partly so, but then it would also have to be accurate to describe him as white, if only in reference to his being partly that also.

Believe me that I was not naively thinking this vestge of old-school racism would go away quietly or easily. I suppose I am simply surprised a bit to realize just how much people desire to simplify everything that we all are into one neat category, no matter how wrong the category is. Many people cannot, it seems, accept that things are not so black and white (no pun intended). And yet, they would indeed rather say that things/people are either black or white (or some other ethnic choice between two differing parents) rather than accept that they are neither or they are both, not just one or the other.

That concept it seems, is just too much for many to wrap their heads and prejuduces around.

"Passing" Taken The Extra Mile

Here in L.A. there is an ongoing trial of these two teenage Mexican gang members in a poor area of the city for an awful racial crime. As part of a supposed effort by their gang to rid their small section of the city from blacks, these two, and others in the gang, initiated a plan one day to kill the next black person they saw. Any black person. The unlucky recipient of their hatred was a black teenage girl who was hanging out near her apartment building or some such location. They shot and killed her with no warning. By the way, later these two stabbed and killed an older white man who they believed was a witness to their crime. They purportedly stabbed him 80 times. So these two were not very nice people, to say the least.

But here's where the story takes a turn and becomes fodder for my blog. It turns out one of the two Mexican gang bangers is in fact half-black himself. His father is black. And according to his family, his sister and a close cousin are both dating black men. Men who he knows and is somewhat close to. In pictures of this kid that I have seen he looks 100% Hispanic, meaning there are no obvious signs of mixed blood, which happens fairly often for some Mixed individuals. My guess is that, he was "passing" as full Mexican to his gang banger friends and found himself in a spot where to prove his loyalty to them and their side he had to pretend he hated blacks as much as his buddies. Or maybe they suspected or knew his "racial" heritage and wanted him to declare his allegiance by doing this.

Either way, it is a sad story all around. For the girl who was shot and killed, and her family. For the young gang banger and his family. And for all the tension he must have felt knowing his Mixed blood and what that gang expected. And it is a sad story for all of us since it is a reminder that the world is indeed filled with violent hatred that can easily spill over into our worlds, sometimes just by being in the wrong place at the wrong time and for no reason other than the color of our skin.

When will the madness end?

Pride and Prejudice Not Distant From One Another

My wife and I were talking to a new friend of ours the other day about her ethnic background because we couldn't place her accent. It turns out she is Assyrian, which makes her the first Assyrian we have met. We love such interactions and friendships, getting to know people from all corners of the globe, again one of the benefits of living in a place like Los Angeles. Of course, that gave us the opportunity to get into her culture and background and for us to get an education about a community that we were wholly unfamiliar with. It was very enlightening.

One of the things we learned though about the expectations of her family and culture is the emphasis and expectation on her to marry someone that is also Assyrian. This expectation grew out of the small size of their community and not wanting to see the culture disappear and of course, also a result of a pride in their ethnicity and culture. Which reminded me, we have to be careful in that while having a pride in one's culture is important for our self-esteem, there is also a point where that pride crosses over into ethnic bias against others. The focus on marrying within one's culture for example, is not far removed from looking down on someone within that culture who chooses not to. Much like Black Power and White Power movements are not far removed from holding grudges against the "other" group.

Our new friend and her culture are quite interesting. We hope to learn much more about this ancient culture and the people who still carry on the traditions today. And obviously, we are not making a negative comment on her or her expected choices, because it is possible she and her family have been able to figure out how not to cross over that line separating pride from prejudice. I hope we learn that they have indeed done that. And whether they have or not, we, once again, are being enriched by broadening our knowledge of the world and our circle of friends.

How To Explain Racial Stupidity to Kids

My wife and I finally decided it was time to have a sit-down discussion with our 9 year-old son and 8 year-old daughter about racism. I know there are some out there who would say we have waited to long to broach this subject since kids are ultra perceptive these days and also ultra-honest with each other when it comes to pointing out differences and opinions. But we have hesitated to step into these waters not because we were naive but because we know that the moment you tell a kid that there are people who dislike, even hate, them simply for no other reason than the color of their skin or their ethnic make-up, all innocence about what humans can do to another human is lost forever. So maybe we were just trying to let them hold onto their innocence a while longer. And yet we realized that the longer we waited the more likely they would hear some racial stupidity from someone else and then be unprepared in their response or emotion.

But nevertheless this is a difficult moment for a parent, particularly a parent, of any ethnicity, who strives to point out the good in all people and who attempts to demonstrate that ethnic and color differences are meaningless when it comes to evaluating a person's worth. Some people hate and dislike other people for no real reason. It is too easy to simply try to explain that as stupidity on those people's part. Especially when you also have to make it clear that the stupidity and ignorance of those people can affect their lives. That explanation does not suffice.

With no clear answers on how to explain it, nonetheless we began what will, I am sure, be a life-long ongoing discussion. And I must say how pleasantly surprised we were at our kids' responses. They did see those views as other people's hang-ups. And they also knew that the world was better than people like that choose to see it. My wife and I were amazed and proud.
And once again we were reminded that this generation of children, especially those from bi-ethnic backgrounds, bring a whole different perspective to these problems. While we intend to teach them a thing or two about "racial" tolerance and intolerance, they are already teaching us a thing or two. I can't help but believe the future will be much brighter because of these kids.

Fear

It has been a busy week in the film business so I am just getting back to this today. I've had a number of thoughts during the week related to the basis of this ongoing blog. But one particular question sticks out. It is a question I would love to ask anyone who has an objection to mixed-ethnic dating or the children of such a relationship. That question is a simple one. It's answer not so uncomplicated.

What are you afraid of?

Really that is it. The thing is I know everyone who reads this blog is most likely an open-minded person, if not someone who is already in a mixed relationship. So it is not likely I will get an answer in this forum. But to anyone who has the chance to ask it of someone who expresses a problem with people dating "outside their race" as most bigots like to call it, please ask that question for me. I don't get the opportunity to meet people who openly express their ethnic biases. And of course that doesn't mean I haven't met bigots or that I don't know any. I accept it is possible that some of the people I encounter harbor such issues but don't feel they can express them in my presence. But I truly wish they would. At least then I could ask the question. And learn something.

See, my guess is that objections to inter-ethnic dating are based in fear. Fear for some that their ethnic group will be no more if too many of "their people" date outside their group. Fear for others is likely rooted in a fear that they, or their ethnic group, is unworthy and inadequate, since their own men or women are choosing someone from "the other group." Maybe there is the fear in some simply that the other group is purposely trying to divide and conquer their people. I don't really know.

What are you afraid of?

That is really the question that has to be asked. The answer may be a big factor in moving our society to a more accepting place.

A Debt That Is Difficult To Repay

Last night I watched the PBS series, "American Experience." This two-hour episode was entitled "New Orleans" and it was a look at the history, from beginning to post-Katrina, of my second-favorite city. I am naturally drawn to anything about New Orleans as I consider it my other childhood home, having been raised nearly half my young years in this oh so unique city. I absolutely love New Orleans and of course was incredibly saddened by what happened to the city and its people during and immediately after Hurricane Katrina. My mother, sister, nieces, cousins and some friends still lived there, though they got out in the mass exodus just before the storm hit. None have gone back yet.

But actually that is not why I bring up the PBS show, though it did replay a lot of the tragedy based on racism and classicism that was at root of so much of what we all saw on television in the ugly aftermath. What was even more eye-opening in the documentary was a look at the unique history of New Orleans in terms of its "race relations." The city was, surprisingly, at one time so very far ahead of the rest of the country in terms of how the different ethnic groups intermingled. As pointed out last night, that all changed though due to to two major and yet equally impacting social realities, first the backlash against Reconstruction and then again during the days of "separate but equal." What was so powerful for me to watch, though it was not the first time I had seen such images, was how truly demoralizing this state-sanctioned and legalized bigotry should have been to a whole ethnic group. I can't even imagine what it must have been like having to live every single day being treated as less than other people - riding the back of the bus, "colored only" dining halls and balconies, sub par and separate schools, areas you cannot live.

Watching that I was truly saddened thinking about how stupid and badly people can treat other people. And I was reminded that I should not be surprised that people of color cannot be entirely blamed for harboring even a minimum belief deep in their bones, no matter how unfounded the belief since the opposite is true, that somehow they are not good enough, not worth what other people are worth. After all, racism that went as deep as what those people experienced, to the point that the government even backed it with laws cannot be just shrugged off. And obviously, based on what we saw with the overwhelmingly black victims left to die and suffer in the aftermath of Katrina, things have not gotten altogether better in this regard.

And yet I am also reminded by the images I saw last night of what a debt I owe to those incredible people of color who came before me and carried themselves with unmistakable dignity in the face of a personalized and focused evil, that I don't even know how I would have responded to. And thanks to them, I do have the choices I do, and my kids can exist and be who and what they are. Were it not for their strength and perseverance none of us, no matter what our ethnic group or groups, would be as free as we are. Black people aren't the only ones who owe a debt to all those who made it through those very very ugly days.

Not all Television So Forward Thinking

I recently wrote a post in this blog praising the fact that television programmers and writers should be applauded for the large number of sitcoms and episodic programs that show inter-ethnic couples as normal and a valid choice without making a big to-do about the skin color differences between the characters. Well I have to also point out where I recently saw two programs where unfortunately the writers succumbed to the "one-drop" rule that says if you have one drop of black blood anywhere in your heritage, no matter how far back, then you are simply black.

One show was the animated series "Family Guy." There was an episode I happened to see the other day, and I don't know if it was an old re-run or not, that featured the lead character dealing with the discovery that way back in his family tree, his great-great-great grandfather, or something like that, was black. The joke of the episode then centered on him coming to terms with his being "black." Now the writers didn't make it out that he thought black was negative or anything like that, thank goodness. He simply felt that "being black" meant hanging out with blacks or "dressing black", etc. Of course, the only real problem here being that the fact that he was only 1/16 or so black, but the episode kept alive the notion that 1/16 was enough to overwhelm all his other blood.

Another show I saw just last night, was the hilarious, "Earl" (actually I can't remember the full name of the show but I think that is it). Now ironically this show is to be praised for the fact the central couple on the comedy is an inter-ethnic, black and white, couple and little to nothing is made of this fact. Kudos to them. But last night's episode also went down the road of keeping alive the ole "one drop" rule. In this segment, we discover how the couple came together and how it came to be that they had their bi-ethnic child. Earl does not originally know his then-wife has had an affair with this other man so he, and his parents, are surprised to discover that the baby his white wife delivers is "black" as they referred to the child. Again, credit goes to the writers in that overall much wasn't made of this in a "racial" way and indeed Earl comes to accept the kid and fathers him until his wife chooses to be with the real father. (I know dysfunctional, but that is the basis of the show.) But nevertheless, once again, that "one-drop" rule made its presence known. The white wife gave birth to a "black" child as if her ethnicity was wiped out.

So steps forward and steps backward. Despite the resilience of the "one drop" rule I'd like to think that the steps forward in these cases were at least bigger than the steps still mired in muck due to not letting go of that awful blood-line baggage.

Skin Color Still Rules

We live in a society (and world it seems) where the spectrum of skin color, from dark to light, is the primary value when judging the acceptability or attractiveness of a person, or even a relationship.

We all know this to be the case when we consider that generally our society judges white as better, or more symbolic of good and positive, than black. (Remember how good guys wear white and bad guys dress in black in our images) But this notion is not just true across ethnic lines, but also makes its presence known within ethnic groups. Hispanics, like blacks, for example, place higher values on lighter skin tones than darker ones. And many of you may be familiar with Dr. Kenneth Clark's famous experiments in the 50s utilizing black and white dolls, dolls which otherwise looked exactly alike. In his experiment, as well as a highly publicized updated version of it done by a talented high school student recently, black kids overwhelmingly favored the white doll over the black one and actually attributed better attributes to that doll as well, as in the white doll was "nicer." Sad and somewhat surprising that not much has changed in that regard over nearly 50 years.

This light skin preference also impacts bi-ethnic relationships and children. In general there is less resistance to inter-ethnic relationships when the couple is closer to each other in skin tone. Remember Lucy and Ricky Ricardo didn't cause any great stir. And still today, for example, often a light-skinned Hispanic with a white will not get the looks that a dark Hispanic with a white will. The same is true for a light-black and a Mexican-American. For some reason the wider the difference in skin tone the harder it is for people.

But this light-dark skin issue even impacts the acceptance of someone identifying themselves as Mixed. For example few question Derk Jeter's bi-ethnic background or have an issue with him not identifying himself as simply Black. And yet, a Mixed person, let's say white and black, who happens to be darker in skin tone, often finds much resistance to choosing to label themselves as anything other than Black or African-American. In a way it seems as if people can accept bi-ethnic, and someone choosing that label or some other such label, as long as their skin color is not too dark.

Strange indeed.

"Black History Month" Should Go

If it were up to me we would do away with this whole "Black History Month" designation. Apparently I am not the only person, black or otherwise, who thinks this. A recent poll I read on MSN mentioned that Americans are quite divided over this month-long observance. Surprising to some, but not to me, is the fact that while the majority of blacks do support the special month, something like 65%, there are many, like me, who do not.

I have no doubt that a lot of the accomplishments blacks have made in our society would not get any attention had it not been for "Black History Month." While in the car the other day, my daughter, upon noticing a traffic light, delightfully pointed out that she learned that a black man invented the traffic signal. I was glad to hear that she had learned something like that at school. And were it not for the month-long focus, it is likely she would not have that information.

So then why am I against the 28-day focus? Because it makes it too easy for our society and our educators to forget about black contributions the other 11 months of the year. Because it puts blacks in a special case category, like we are not a part of "American" history, not just Black history. And I am also against it because the designation actually has the opposite effect than the one intended. Rather than making Blacks equal, it makes us out to be special cases, like it is so unusual for us to have achievements that we need to stop for a moment to make note, while for everyone else achievements are normal, so no need to stop the presses. I, and others I know, are often sought out or trotted out by organizations, churches, and schools during this month to come in and speak during this month, as a way of showing how open these groups are. And yet, the rest of the year, often we are ignored.

No, the best way to make this society recognize Black achievement is to make sure that we are included as an everyday part of history, because we were and are. And the same goes for all the other ethnic groups that don't get the credit they deserve for helping to make this society and our world the place that it is. This single month focus only allows us to separate Blacks from the whole and in the end, that was neither the purpose of this calendar highlight nor has it proven to make a dent in getting society to include minority achievements as a normal part of education. A 28-day focus is too easy. The greater goal is a 365-day effort, not just on Black, and certainly not just on White, but rather a broader acceptance that we could not be where we are, enjoy what we enjoy, without the contributions of a very wide spectrum of colors and ethnicities. Then, and only then, will we be able to have a pride in who we are. Because no matter how you separate me, no matter how noble the intent, you are still putting me off to the side, as if I don't belong right where everyone else is.

"Race" Is Not Real

Today rather than reading my thoughts on this issue I'll just share with you information from other, more learned, perspectives on how useless and outdated all this focus on race is. It really speaks for itself.

From The American Heritage Dictionary:

USAGE NOTE The notion of race is nearly as problematic from a scientific point of view as it is from a social one. European physical anthropologists of the 17th and 18th centuries proposed various systems of racial classifications based on such observable characteristics as skin color, hair type, body proportions, and skull measurements, essentially codifying the perceived differences among broad geographic populations of humans. The traditional terms for these populations—Caucasoid (or Caucasian), Mongoloid, Negroid, and in some systems Australoid—are now controversial in both technical and nontechnical usage, and in some cases they may well be considered offensive. ..The biological aspect of race is described today not in observable physical features but rather in such genetic characteristics as blood groups and metabolic processes, and the groupings indicated by these factors seldom coincide very neatly with those put forward by earlier physical anthropologists. Citing this and other points—such as the fact that a person who is considered black in one society might be nonblack in another—many cultural anthropologists now consider race to be more a social or mental construct than an objective biological fact.

From The Encyclopedia of Public Health:

Race and Ethnicity
Within public health, there is disagreement about the meaning and use of the term "race." Often, public health scientists and the general public alike mistakenly base their notions of race on the idea that the human species can be separated into distinct human races identifiable through differences in physical traits (e.g., skin color, hair texture, facial features). Furthermore these ideas frequently carry with them the notion that these physical or other distinguishing traits have a basis in a homogeneous set of genes that differentiate races from one another. These ideas originated in the fifteenth century when the ability to support such ideas using sound scientific methods was not possible. Now, scientists from many disciplines (e.g., genetics, anthropology, sociology, biology) agree that there are no distinct human races as was previously claimed...

Starting in the 1970s, scientific evidence began to accumulate to support the idea that races, as distinct biologically or genetically homogeneous groups of humans, do not exist. Geneticists have shown that only a very small proportion (6% or less) of human genetic variability occurs between so-called races. Furthermore scientists within other disciplines, such as biology and anthropology, have discarded such definitions of race based upon notions of biologic or genetic homogeneity. Rather, scientists recognize that the concept of race has been socially constructed—initially in the sixteenth century to justify economic exploitation and political domination of certain populations distinguishable by physical features such as skin color—and that race is a set of economic, political, and cultural relations that result in health and social inequalities.

In the face of all that, somehow people still cling to these ridiculous notions and will even fight over them. How very stupid and sad.