Check out this Washington Post essay. It’s written by a mother of biracial children, and she argues Barack Obama should not have checked ‘black’ on his U.S. Census form. Her point is valid, but I disagree. I also think it’s important we remember Obama is a politician. While there is a black political agenda, I don’t think we can say the same for biracial and multiracial issues.
Two times in as many weeks Nadia has met me at preschool with tears.
I had grown accustomed to the squeals of “Mommy!” and the skip, hop, jump and hug that immediately followed.
But no, I have been greeted with plump tears, wailing sobs and an utterly filthy child. It’s okay that she likes rolling around in the dirt and playing on the swing set and making imaginary meals in the sandbox. But when it’s time to go, it is time to go.
You know how mothers know what a child wants when she cries? There’s the hungry cry, the tired cry and the my-diaper-is-wet cry. Here’s what I hear when Nadia cries as I am picking her up.
The first cries are simple.
I want to swing.
I want to play in the sandbox.
I want to get dirty.
The cries then take on a threatening tone.
I’m going to go boneless.
Okay, I am just going to sit here in the middle of the sidewalk.
I will walk, but I will not get in my car seat.
The final stage is accusatory.
Why is my sister going along with this? Simone, help!
People, I don’t know this woman. I know she is acting like my mother and all, but she is NOT my mother.
I’m being kidnapped!
I translate all of this for a parent who is now staring. “She doesn’t want to leave the playground.”
The producers of Parenthood are trying to develop a relationship between Crosby and Jasmine, the white father and black mother of Jabbar. The couple smooched on screen more than once last night. Let’s see where this goes, but I am guessing the producers are keeping Crosby’s former girlfriend in the wings, should audiences frown on the mixed-race story line.
All of the affection on TV made me think about that first interracial kiss on network television way back in 1968. That’s when Nichelle Nichols as Lt. Uhura kissed actor William Shatner as Captain James T. Kirk. But was it the first interracial kiss? Not if you count Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in the 1950s. Or the peck on the cheek Sammy Davis, Jr. gave to Nancy Sinatra on the show Movin’ With Nancy in December 1967. Or ITV’s Soap Emergency Ward 10, which aired in Britain in 1964.
From now on, I will watch Parenthood and leave all of the historical moments to the historians.
My Name is Celia/Me Llamo Celia
Written by Monica Brown
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
Boom boom boom! beat the congas.
Clap clap clap! go the hands.
Shake shake shake! go the hips.
This is one of the many musical lessons Simone and Nadia learned when they attended a bilingual reading of My Name is Celia/Me Llamo Celia. Author Monica Brown and illustrator Rafael Lopez entertained a diverse crowd of parents and children with this vibrant book about the Cuban-born Queen of Salsa. Brown read in English, while Lopez read in Spanish. Azucar, or sugar, was one of the many Spanish words Simone and Nadia understood.
The book’s lyrical writing reveals the life of of Celia Cruz. She learns as a child in Havana that she has the gift for song, rhythm and dance, and she rises to worldwide musical acclaim. Celia shows how hard work overcomes adversity. For example, Cruz couldn’t participate in some singing contests because of the color of her skin. She didn’t let that stop her and was honored by presidents. In the end, she sold gold records, won Grammy awards and earned a star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
I fell in love with the book, because the lines read like those often heard at poetry slams.
Close your eyes and listen, the book begins. My voice feels like feet skipping on cool wet sand, like running under a waterfall, like rolling down a hill. My voice climbs and rocks and dips and flips with the sounds of congas beating and trumpets blaring.
Of course, I purchased a copy of Celia for our library at home and asked Brown and Lopez to sign it for the girls.
“May your smiles fly across the sky,” wrote Brown, referring to a line in the book.
“Keep on reading and fall in love with books,” Lopez wrote.
No problem, no problem at all.
After reading a comment on the post below, I thought it would be nice for mothers and fathers to chime in on what they love about parenting, raising their biracial children, or whatever they would like to write. I love reading posts about how other parents instill values in their children or how parents who have children older than Simone and Nadia have addressed race and identity.
If you’re game, shoot me an email at honeysmoke at honeysmoke dot com. I will post those from women on Mother’s Day and those from men on Father’s Day. I am also hoping to get my hubby to pen the main father’s day post. Feel free to let him know how you’d feel about hearing his voice on this blog in the comment section.
It’s not very romantic, but I always drop hints about what I want for birthdays and holidays. Okay, I don’t drop hints. I just tell Ken, the buyer of said gifts, what I want. I give him a list of possibilities and leave the rest to him. Before Kids, holidays weren’t such a big deal. But now that Simone and Nadia command most, if not all, of the money, I tend to give my wants and needs a little more thought.
It is with this in mind that I have been thinking about my list for Mother’s Day. I love jewelry, flowers, clothing, chocolate and breakfast in bed as much as the next mother. Seriously, you can’t go wrong with any of these. Plus, we all know the best Mother’s Day gifts are spending time with your children and receiving those hand-made trinkets that don’t cost a thing.
But if the hubby has to get me something, the top item on my list this year is a ….. BlackBerry. I haven’t gotten one for myself, because they are so expensive and I have issues with spending money. After Simone and Nadia were born, the cheap gene I inherited from my father was activated. My cell phone has a cracked face, and sometimes callers can’t hear me.
I want and need a BlackBerry. Still, I know better than to just put one item on my list. That’s why I also put inline skates or a bicycle on my list. It is getting warm again and a little exercise can’t hurt. But I would like to point out one last time that I really want and need a BlackBerry.
I’m curious. Does anybody else do this? If so, what’s on your list?
We don’t have a lost puppy, but we do support any and all writing efforts.
There are four signs like this one posted around our home.
