Colored Folks & Camping

Camping is not high on the list of things to do for most Black folks.  This is not news, but there was a recent article about it that garnered some attention and feedback.

It was very interesting.  Check out the link below.

http://dish.andrewsullivan.com/2013/09/12/the-great-white-outdoors-ctd-2/

I was reminded of an annual camping field trip that many of the students in Sacramento schools participated in.

The kids' loved it.

White kids.  Black kids.  Hispanic kids.

They all loved it and were so excited about going.

As the kids boarded the buses on the day of the trip, I gave them a hearty wave as they left for the campgrounds about forty miles away.

I had absolutely no desire to see it.

Side note - Likewise, I had no desire to spend the night at the zoo with another group of kids.  I stayed with them through dinner, then again said my goodbyes.

Sleeping with the critters?

No thanks.

Now, getting back to camping story . . .

I did end up driving to the campground on my last year at this school.

Honestly, I was shamed in to going.

If the principal of the schools visited his/her kids while they were camping, the camp would pay the fee for a student to attend the next year.  This was a big deal because the school/kids had to pay a fee, which was pretty steep for many of our families.

This would be my first trip in my third year as principal.

So, feeling the pressure, I went.

With each passing mile, I knew the chances of seeing folks who looked like me was getting slimmer and slimmer.  That image was unsettling.

Remember, I was raised in the segregated South where images of ugly stuff happening to folks who ventured out of their "assigned" areas could result in bad things happening.

Right or wrong, that's what I was thinking.

So . . .

When I was about five miles or so from the campground, the route called for me to turn off the main road, onto two-lane winding roads.

Although it was luscious green and very scenic, the only thing I was thinking about was how dark it must be at night, as there were no street lights, and the homes and businesses were sparsely scattered throughout.  You could drive a while before seeing any people/critters, etc.

After trying unsuccessfully to push those negative thoughts to the back of my mind, I made it to the camp.  My kids were tickled pink to see me, and my visit guaranteed another student would be able to go next year.

Did I ever consider going back?

No.

Would I consider camping in the future?

Probably not.

Is it because I'm Black?

Maybe.

Will the kids of color who experienced this want to do it again?

Statistics says no.

If they don't, will it be because they're Black/Hispanic?

Who knows?

Remember when Oprah and Gayle went camping to shed light on this absence of colored folks in the national parks?

Did they change any minds?

If Oprah can't get us to be one with nature, who can?

Little Help?

These two teams could use a hand.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/11/record-rugby-defeat_n_3909493.html?utm_hp_ref=sports

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/10/fire-kiffin-chants-usc-fans-lane_n_3896449.html?utm_hp_ref=sports

What Would You Do?

This soldier gives a great response to a man's harassment of a Muslim.

Check it out.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/11/american-soldier-anti-mus_n_3906743.html

Thirty Years Ago

It was thirty years ago this Tuesday, September 10th, that I gave birth to Frankie. He was a premie, born a month early.

This was a difficult pregnancy, considered high risk.

The previous year I gave birth to our baby girl Lydia, who lived only two weeks.  She had a multitude of medical issues, the most serious of which was having only one kidney, and that one was diseased.

After Lydia's death, the doctors suggested that we wait a while to have another child so that we could deal with all that had happened.  However, I knew if we waited, I would have been too frightened to try again.  So, against medical advice, I was pregnant with Frankie a couple of months later.

Two years earlier, when I was pregnant with Ben, I had surgery in my fifth month, and spent most of the last trimester on bed rest.

With Lydia, a year later, I was fine, but she had problems.

Now with Frankie, I had placenta previa, which was a serious condition with the potential of maternal hemorrhaging before or during labor.

We were in the Navy at this time, and had orders to go to the Philippines, but they were changed because the hospital there didn't have a neonatal intensive care unit. The orders were changed to Columbia, South Carolina instead.

Shortly after arriving in South Carolina, we purchased a home that we were so excited about. We moved in and in the excitement, I moved something too heavy and started to bleed.  I was hospitalized for observation, then discharged with the order of no heavy lifting, moving etc.  Ben was always big for his age and at two years old, he was already a bruiser.  But he was two, so not picking him up every now and then was a challenge.  At any rate, I promised to be on my best behavior and was discharged.

Of course, when I returned home, there was still furniture to move, and a toddler to care for.

So, you know what happened, right?

Yep, I managed to move something and I started to bleed again.  This time when I was hospitalized, no amount of begging changed the doctor's mind.  So, I spent the last month of the pregnancy in the hospital.  It would have been two if I made it to full term.  This was before the drive-by medical service that is the norm today.

Now I knew what it was like to lose a child, so you would think I would have erred on the side of caution.  Only God knows what I was thinking.

While in the hospital the second time, I continued to bleed off and on, and after checking Frankie's vital organs, it was determined that he would be OK if delivered early, so the doctor said if I started to bleed again, they would do a caesarian section.

On a beautiful Saturday morning, with this plan in place, the bleeding resumed, and I was prepped for surgery.  I called Frank, but he had to get Ben to a sitter before he could arrive.  By the time he got there, Frankie was born.

He was a beautiful little guy, but he looked so much like his sister, that the first couple of weeks were filled with mixed emotions.  We were thrilled he was here and healthy, but he looked so much like Lydia, he was also a reminder of our loss.

When he moved past the two weeks mark that Lydia lived, he came into his own.

When Ben met Frankie, he was absolutely thrilled with his new brother.  He had one of the biggest smiles ever when he saw him the first time.  That admiration continued until Frankie started to smile, and then Ben was through with him, but it was great while it lasted.

We settled into a routine where Frankie and I spent a lot of time together, while Ben was in preschool and Frank was at work.  He and I would take a walk everyday.  He loved being outside.

With Ben as his role model, he learned everything quicker.  He walked at ten months, while Ben didn't walk until he was a year old.  It was like that with all of the growth markers.  It was like he was rushing to catch up with Ben.

It's hard to believe that it's been thirty years.

I remember this time like it was yesterday.

I was 27 years old, with two baby boys.  Ben at 2 and Frankie a newborn.

When Frankie and Cara were expecting Zadie, I thought he was too young to be a father.  Of course, he reminded me that I had both he and Ben by this same age. And of course, he was right.

My advice to everyone with little ones is . . . enjoy them.  Spend time with them. Laugh with them.  Listen to them.  And love them like there's no tomorrow because if you're lucky, in the blink of an eye, they'll be grown, having kids of their own . . . like my baby boy.

Happy birthday Frankie.

Love, Mom

Before Blacks Ruled Basketball

Let's call this Sports Week.

Yesterday's post was about football.  Today its basketball.

In both of these stories, it is so much more than just the game.  It is about our society at that time and how sports were influenced by it.

Check out the story out below.

http://www.theroot.com/views/blacks-ruled-college-game?wpisrc=root_lightbox

For those of you who think this sports stuff is off base, remember - I only have brothers, and only have sons.  I'm into sports by default.

Cheers.

The Evolution of the Black Quarterbacks

This is a fascinating article on the long road traveled to the breakthrough of the first black college quarterback.  It was heartwarming to see my alma mater, Florida A & M University, played a vital, although unheralded, role in the process.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2013/09/breaking_the_line_how_football_s_racial_breakthroughs_of_1967_paved_the.single.html

Reunited

Here's an update on Ruby Bridges, the six year old who helped to integrate New Orleans schools in 1960.  She recently met with one of the men who was charged with protecting her.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/06/ruby-bridges-marshal-photo_n_3877473.html

Read All About It . . .

"Addresses for Every Home in Abu Dhabi by 2015"

http://www.thenational.ae/news/uae-news/address-for-every-home-by-2015?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=Daily%2BNewsletter%2B05-09-2013

In Support of Gay Marriage

This Australian politician nails it.

http://www.upworthy.com/a-pastor-asks-a-politician-why-he-supports-gay-marriage-it-seems-he-wasnt-prepared-for-his-reply?c=upw1

This Kid is My Hero

This young man started a company two years ago that is worth $3.5 million!

Check him out for yourself.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/09/03/jaylen-bledsoe_n_3860585.html?utm_hp_ref=black-voices&ir=Black%20Voices

Living Dangerously

As I was driving home today, a car pulled up quickly behind me, then raced to pass me, only to have to slow down, or in this case stop, for the roundabout traffic a half mile away.  I pulled up behind this guy, but decided to get in another lane, at the last minute.  Thank God I did.

I was sitting third behind a crane truck and a 15-seat van.  We were waiting a while to move, although the traffic was clear to go.  When we did finally move, I could see there was an accident.  The car racing pass me had flipped over.  Scores of people stopped to help, but I did not, knowing that I would only be in the way of the emergency response teams getting through.

My heart ached for this silly man.  What could have been going on in his life that was so important he felt the needed to drive like a bat out of hell?

There is a real issue with speeding here.  It is especially dangerous because of the huge, heavy vehicles on the roads, and as I've stated before, folks don't wear seat belts and kids are not secured in car seats.  So when there is an accident, and there are many, it is nothing short of miraculous when people survive.

Country-wide initiatives are ongoing in an effort to educate the masses on the dangers of reckless driving.  I can't see where they have been much help.

On a positive note, witnessing this crazy driving has caused me to be especially vigilant behind the wheel.

Here's hoping that your world is calm and safe.

Visiting Cuba . . .

Is on my bucket list.

It's time we, as a nation, called the powers that be in Cuba, and declared a truce. This bad blood between us has gone on long enough.  Both sides need to apologize for the wrongs, and move on.

Some would say it's much more complicated than that.

I say, "Hog wash."

We simply need to get pass the past, agree to disagree, and move on.

In celebration of that thought, check out the pictures out of Cuba at the end of this link.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/peggy-goldman/faces-of-cuba_b_3823598.html

Let's do like Larry the Cable Guy, and git-r-done!

An Amazing Message

This young man was suppose to speak at the March on Washington, but the other speakers ran over and he was cut.  He has a message that needs to be heard.

Listen.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/30/phillip-agnew-march-on-washington_n_3842281.html

Adorable!

I love this little guy!  Check out his facial expressions.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/29/orangutan-baby-rickina-video_n_3839162.html

Climate Change

If there was any doubt global warming is real, Hurricane Sandy should have muzzled all of the folks who deny this.  As you know, of course, it did not.

Below is a video of a fabulous suggestion that should be heeded when naming this new extreme weather.

http://www.upworthy.com/this-is-probably-the-funniest-most-effective-way-to-deal-with-people-who-ignore-science-facts-ever-2?c=upw1

Who Knew . . .

That reading GQ magazine could be so much fun?

I stumbled on an article that was featured in the September issue that was really well written, so I decided to take the plunge and check out the whole magazine.

It did not disappoint.

I'm only half way through, but . . .

There are great articles, interspersed with wonderful ads of sharply dressed men, modeling clothes that make you wanna scream, "Yes, Lord!"

Of course, the guys look like they're 12, but still.

So, for all of you men who aspire to be "GQ ready," subscribe today.

Ben & Frankie, your subscriptions (and early birthday gifts) are on the way.

And . . .

For all you ladies who enjoy a little drooling from time to time, this one is for you, too.

Side note - I never quite understood the allure of naked folks (OK, men), but well-dressed folks (yes, men) . . .  well that's another story.  I don't think there are naked folks featured in this magazine, but if there are, a swift swipe on my iPad will quickly eliminate them from my reading/gazing pleasure.

Side note 2 - I used to get on my guys for walking around in the streets with no shirts, especially after a workout at the gym. I used to preach to them that it was ghetto to strut like that and that no one was interested in their tatted up brown bodies.  My mantra was, "If you don't see me naked from the waist up walking around town, then you shouldn't be either.  Well, needless to say, it was one of the many battles I lost.

Side note 3 - I've always heard Playboy magazine has good articles.  What do you think?  Shall I try that one next?

Super Heroes & Super Solutions?

For the super hero in your life, comes the really cool SuperMe Backpacks.  They're sold on http://www.thegrommet.com.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Og-nzw63GLI&feature=player_embedded

Also . . .

The following is an article on how Bogota, Columbia is addressing their homeless population.  Could this be an option for the US?  It brings a measure of dignity to those less fortunate.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/23/columbian-homeless-mobile-shelter_n_3804214.html?utm_hp_ref=latino-voices&ir=Latino%20Voices

No Excuses!

I woke up this morning with this video in my inbox.  Inspirational doesn't begin to describe the young man you'll see.  Take the seven minutes to watch this and be motivated to do more, and . . . to be more.

http://www.upworthy.com/requirement-for-an-incredible-life-an-amazing-attitude-entirely-optional-extremities?c=upw1

Fascinating Maps

Take your time.  These maps are really, really cool!

http://twistedsifter.com/2013/08/maps-that-will-help-you-make-sense-of-the-world/

Old School

Here's a clip of Earth, Wind and Fire rehearsing a song from their latest album.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O40lWEXIEPE&feature=player_embedded
(If this doesn't work, google Earth, Wind & Fire, "My Promise")

Yes, most are senior citizens.

Yes, they're are being sponsored (or should be) by Ben-Gay.

Yes, they need to update their do's.

But . . .

They're still making fun music.

Enjoy!