Shrinking Sistahs

In case you have missed the news for the past week, African American women are shrinking!

The Center for Disease Control released a study this past week that showed:

"The average height of a black woman born in the 1980s is just under 5 feet 4 inches; her mother, born in the 1960s, is more than half an inch taller. Even her grandmother, born in the 1940s, is a bit taller. The average white woman born in the 1980s is about half an inch taller than her mother. "

The reason why I responded to this new was because the researchers said, "height is a very good overall indicator of how well the human organism thrives in its socioeconomic environment."

So now you have it! All of the adversity African-American manage to overcome on a daily basis does more than burden the soul, cause high blood pressure, and hypertension. All of the problems within the home and community that many African-American women must learn to sort through interferes with her ability to thrive and remain competitive in the environment. So the environmental issues for African-American women would include competing socially, economically, mentally, etc.

Those of us who study race and gender dynamics in America understand this already but now its played itself out in a Darwinistic way.

Very interesting news.

2008 = Politics

I have no doubt that these six people

dominated your conversations this year.

Have you added CNN to your TV favorites yet?

Daddy's Girls Excerpt

MTV is debuting another reality show: Daddy's Girls. I am a sucker for the Hills but I am really excited about seeing positive images of African-American women on television. I was very proud to see MTV approve Run's House and this spin-off is like icing on the cake!

Sorry "New York" but these women are entrepreneurs and true role models for young women America, especially women of color.

Ok, so they are a little spoiled but it beats seeing episode after episode of profane language with half-naked women as if young women like Angela and Vanessa Simmons do not exist.

Thankful

Thanksgiving goes beyond Thanksgiving Day.

This Holiday Season completes the end of one of the toughest years of our life. I hope you have expressed gratittude and thanks for everything you have. There will be many people waking up on Christmas morning with heavy hearts. Pray for your neighbors....and never stop giving thanks.

Green Eggs & Ham

Since everyone knows that I spoil my sister, I thought I would share this recent news while shopping for Christmas gifts.

Although my sister loves everything Disney/Dora, I decided this Christmas that I would buck the system of buying Disney/Dora and attempt to share classic gifts. While shopping for classic books, I decided to pick up Dr. Seuss' Green Eggs & Ham amongst other books I knew she did not own. Of course before going to Barnes & Noble, I decided to look online for the cheapest prices.

When I got to Amazon.com I was floored by this review of Green Eggs & Ham when I read this:

"If you're searching for a literary example of peer pressure, look no further than Dr. Seuss's subtly horrifying "Green Eggs and Ham." The "hero" of this tale, Sam-I-Am, spends the entirety of the book trying to force green eggs and ham upon a nameless skeptic. The "villain" turns down the offer several times, but Sam-I-Am persists, going so far as to follow him home in order to make him try the green eggs and ham. He uses several textbook methods of peer pressure, including the famous, "You'll never know that you don't like it if you don't try it." He refuses to respect the man's right to say no, and badgers him incessantly until he caves under the pressure.

What disgusts me most about the end of the story is that once the man tries the green eggs and ham, he loves them and is simply another addition to a pool of addicts. Dr. Seuss's tragic allegory for the rising drug use among young people that plagued his time period is brilliant, but certainly not appropriate for young children. Sam-I-Am is too easily twisted to become a hero, opening the antagonist's mind to new things, rather than a metaphor for Satan as I believe was originally intended.

In conclusion, do not read this book to your children unless you are willing to explain to them that people like Sam-I-Am should be avoided at all costs, and that they should never follow the path of the story's antagonist. "

Wow. I have no words at this moment.

Barbie vs. Bratz

In case you have not heard the news from Toy Departments across America, the Bratz dolls will be leaving the shelves very soon. Apparently, Mattel (the maker of Barbie) filed a law suit claiming that the creater of Bratz came up with the idea while working for Mattel.

Although I am not a parent, I have a five year old sister who plays with dolls. This Christmas I refuse to purchase anything Barbie or Hannah Montana. This is a decision for parents to ultimately make, but as an adult with a very young sister I have concerns too.

I am concerned about the number of decades the image of Barbie has dominated the toy aisle! Forget how the ethnic Barbies are never named Barbie. Forget the unrealistic body, the blonde hair, the companion Ken doll, the various Professions, and the material items Barbie accumulates....

Images like the Barbie Doll contributes to the inferiority complex minority girls spend their adult years trying to defeat.

Bratz is a legitimate competitor. For once we have dolls on the shelves that emphasize non-European physical features. The arguments most people have about the Bratz dolls include the Urban wear and physical features. I think most of the physical features are a reflection of non-European women. Sure the clothes could be a bit more modest, but Barbie too has her share of interesting fashions too. In the end, I advocate for Bratz because of the diversity and the proximity to real features of ethnic women.

What I will miss about the Bratz dolls:

1. The Lips

2. Their shapes--Barbie eat your heart out!

3. Their names (there is a Sasha in the group ode to Sasha Obama living in the White House)

4. Their Diversity

I really think that people are upset about Barbie finally having competition. The Bratz dolls are more of a reality than Barbie for lots of girls in my family. The Bratz phenomenon is about someone finally getting the message that there are girls of different shades around the world that cannot relate to Barbie. Unfortunately, too many Americans consider Barbie a classic and shy away at any real diversity in the doll world.

Bittersweet Caroline

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet."

--Romeo & Juliet (II, ii, 1-2).

After conversations with friends, reading my favorite blogs, and tracking the story in the NYT & CNN, I find Caroline Kennedy's bid for the U.S. Senate bittersweet. I love her support and commitment to public service, but honestly believe that her name positions her to be the new Senator from NY. Its amazing to see so many changes in politics. Yet, this example shows that as "the more things change, the more they stay the same."

Barack Obama = two steps forward

Caroline Kennedy = two steps back