I am guilty of straightening my hair, using chemicals and endless 

blow drying and flat ironing, truth is I have curly hair. 

I was recently told about the "I love my hair video on sesame 

street"and how I had to see it and 

how it would make a great discussion. 
 

I read up on it and found that it was written by an italian father 

after he noticed his adopted daughter from Ethiopia playing 

with her dolls straight blond hair and wishing hers was just like it. 

The response he got from women was amazing, one woman was 

even brought to tears. 
 

After watching the video myself I can totally see why. 

This self loving video is amazing. It was made simply to 

show a child how beautiful they are as God has created them. 

Something we as a people have gotten so far from nowadays. 

On one hand it teaches children to love them self regardless 

of their hair, which is why I can see why a parent would love it. 

But on the other hand do we really need this video made by a 

white person teaching us, black people, to love ourselves? 

I know it doesn't need to go that far in relation to race, 

and it could be just another educational video on sesame street, 

but there is always a need to explore both sides. 
 

After watching the video, I don't know which side 

I was standing on. Like I said I myself have 

naturally curly hair and remembering wishing for 

straight hair growing up and wishing I didn't have 

to do so much work to maintain it. 

But my mother is black and she also taught me 

how to love my hair as it was a part of me 

that I could never change. 

It didn't take a video or song, but I have accepted and 

embrace my curls...

I guess in the end an innocent video teaching children how 

much their differences can actual make 

a difference never hurt anybody.

The Colors of Love

So I am proud to announce here first the new play for the Black Latina Movement "The Colors of Love".

At the Movement our projects consist of either projects that express our experiences or those that show our talent. This project will be that of the latter. We will have an all Black Latino/a cast. I am super excited about this and sending out a casting that as an actress myself I would have loved to see years ago.

The play consist of 4 couples all with names that have to do with colors in either English or Spanish (I love writing with a play on words, just a little tidbit about me as a writer :)) and they are all at different milestones in their lives. Ranging from the ages of late teens-early twenties to mid Thirties the couples let us in on their journey's through love. They are experiencing a broad spectrum of problems/issues from trying to conceive to partying too much. You name it these couples are going through it. Not to mention I wanted to bring to light certain topics that women and men don't normally like to address like.... Well no I won't give it all away.

The play is slated to go up in February 2011 in NYC. I am very happy and pleased with the play and will have a casting and reading for it soon.

So stay tuned to the FB page for details and pics on the newest project at the Black Latina Movement "The Colors of Love".

Labels..... Clothing Labels

I hate when I hear people say things like "he dresses like he's black" and when you look at the person they are dressed in what is perceived to be "urban" attire. Meanwhile urban attire is fashionable and has been a main staple in the fashion industry.

Or better yet when someone is dress in business or "preppy" attire and it is said they think they are white.

When did a specific race control or become in charge of a look or fashion style?

It is quiet ignorant and stupid to think that the urban style is acceptable only to those living in that community and suits and cardigans are solely for those on Wall St. Times have changed so to think that these fashion statements as based off a group is pretty outdated.

Now I am more then familiar with Marketing and product placement in regards to clothing but nonetheless we cant let those subliminal tactic affect our view of a particular group or style of dressing.

With all the other labels that are imposed on us and others do we really need the labels of clothing we wear to determine who we are as well?

Breakthrough

When I think of family structure I immediately think of my own home, the household I was raised in. My brother, sister and I were happy kids. We were fortunate enough to attend private school, graduate from HS and college. We were raised to be close knit and still are. I by no means feel that I am any different from any person raised in a two parent home.

My parents were in fact married but separated not long before divorcing while we were school age children.
We always had a relationship with both parents although one had custody while the other visitation. With both parents in my life in very different ways I always wondered what I was missing out on. I compared myself to other kids growing up with both their parents in the same home. Now that I am older I don't see how that would've changed anything about me or the choices I have made in life.

I guess this is why I find it hard to believe that there is a direct correlation between children who live in a home where the father is absent.

 In a recent issue of a well known black magazine, the statistics stated that over 65% of black families consist of single parent homes. Most of these families are headed by the maternal parent with little or no help from the paternal parent. The article went on to relate the family structure of a fatherless home to one that either results in gang affiliation, poverty or the never ending cycle which contributes to our destructive community. Seeking direction a child grows up longing for a family and looking to gangs. 1 out of 3 single parent homes is at or below poverty level. And our community reaps the negative benefits of it all.

But yet there is a difference approaching....our generation seems to be changing, more black men have come forth wanting to have more of an involvement in their children's lives. And so whether or not the relationship between the parents continued black men are beginning to still stay very involved and diligent in the upraising of their children. With this change they are breaking ground in the community and this is to be commended.

Straightening out the Race!

So one day I was talking to my grandma and she was telling how hard things were for her mother (my great Grandma) who came here from Puerto Rico in the 20's/30's. She was a Black Latina and faced many tribulations. She remembers her mom combing her hair and stating how her children need to marry outside of the race so that they wouldn't go through what she had to gone through. What sparked this for her was her frustration in combing out her daughters hair so her advice was to "straighten out the race".

When I hear this I was so upset, hurt and confused. My great grandma and I had a great relationship and she recently passed last year. So as an adult I was able to build a relationship with her and she was such an advocate for our advancement as people of color.

So instead of judging her my only logical reaction is to think of that time period and try really hard to put myself in her shoes. The world we live in now is a completely different one from then. We at times take this for granted I am sure.

To have to urinate and can only use "colored only" restrooms, or to go to a restaurant and can only eat in certain sections is something most of us can't even imagine nonetheless live through. Not to mention as a mother although it seems offensive now to hear, I can only imagine she just wanted to protect her children and for them to live a less painful and traumatic life as she did once step foot into such a segregated country.

In the end I now see how due to struggling, wanting normalcy, and acceptance unbeknown to many of our family members they were planting seeds of internalized racism and unfortunately created deep rooted stigmas that still have lasting scars in our communities. They didn't mean to hurt us, they wanted to help, they just didn't know the psychological damages that were created.