Damn, I Have A LOT Respect For This Dude!

Say what you want about Colin Powell, but he sure is a straight shooter. You can sort of see why many of America’s loudest opponents worked with him when he was Secretary of State. You can tell he handles himself with a hell of a lot of integrity and transparency. Of course, it’s prolly easy to be so calm and collective when you’ve spent most of you career with an arsenal of F-22s on speed dial.

I really enjoyed Larry King’s interview last night. Powell kept is super real on a gang of issues including “Skip Gates Gate”, Afghanistan and the Obama administration. But the thing I liked most was that he expressed his very strong opinions without being disrespectful. He even stayed above the fray when Larry asked him about Rush Limbaugh’s ridiculously awkward critiques.

My favorite part was when he talked about his humble beginnings in NYC. Have you ever read his biography “My American Journey“? Powell’s story is pretty inspiring.

Check out the video if you missed it last night and let me know what you think.

Posted by:

Biko Baker

Why I Will NOT Be Seeing the Movie “Orphan”

“It must be difficult to love an adopted child as much as your own,” states the original “Orphan” trailer. As someone who is adopted, my only response is SERIOUSLY??? People had to complain in order for Warner Bros. to realize that this was a bad idea? No one raised their hand during that board meeting and said, Hey, maybe this might be offensive?

I’m obviously not ashamed of being adopted so I have no problem mentioning it when relevant. However, EVERY time I mention it, I can depend on being asked one question. Do you know your real parents? Ughhhh. Anyone who is adopted will know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. I know that the question is not meant to be offensive, yet it somehow implies that the family I have now, on some level, is “fake.” Like I’ve been deprived a “real” family. (I have not.)

Though the question is innocent, it definitely exemplifies a stigma; a stigma that is undoubtedly supported by the “Orphan” trailer. The trailer blatantly suggests that adopted children are less lovable than one’s “own,” just as my parents are somehow not “real.” Though the trailer may not be intentionally offensive (hopefully), they undisputedly promote the idea that a family with adopted children is inferior to one with biological children.

Such a statement, especially in today’s society, is not just offensive, it’s simply wrong. Let’s face it, there is no longer one specific familial mold. Couples get divorced; children have step-parents, step-siblings, maybe even half-siblings. Some children have parents who never married in the first place. Others may have foster-parents, adoptive parents, maybe even same-sex parents….

Thus, instead of seeing this movie, I will simply rejoice in the fact that I was not adopted by people from Warner Bros., who, for whatever reason, would not have enough love for someone who doesn’t have their DNA.

Posted by:

Kiera Aaron

The X Fact(her): White in America

Kudos to CNN for “Black in America 2″.

You get an A for effort and a gold star for correcting the lameness of the first installment. I even peeped a commercial for the upcoming “Latino in America”. Aside from them trying to educate the masses and convince everyone to empathize with our neighbors, let’s give CNN a round of applause for giving Soledad O’Brien something to do. It doesn’t hurt that her multi-racial background makes it more acceptable for her to tackle the issue of race. No one knows what she is. I’m sure she is going to ride this “… in America” thing until the wheels fall off or until Prez Obama is out of office and no one cares to talk about race anymore.

Sidenote: If you want to see an amazing documentary about Blacks in America watch ABC News’ Out of Control: AIDS in Black America. I love it when Terry Moran leaves Jesse Jackson dumbfounded.

While I was flipping the channel to purposely avoid watching “B.I.A. 2″, something occurred to me. I wasn’t interested in watching the series because I am black and I know what life is like for me. However, I would be inclined to watch a series on what it is to be “White in America”.

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Chloe

Ain’t No Rain On The Pride Parade

If you were around Greenwich Village anytime during the end of June, chances are you caught glimpses of flashy colors, costumes and rainbow flags. Gay Pride festivities in New York span an entire week, with parties, parades, rallies, and festivals to celebrate and commemorate a landmark event in gay rights.

This year’s “Pride Week” was awe-inspiring not only in terms of the celebrations put on by the LGBT community, but also in the wider political context of this year’s festivities– especially the parade. With marriage equality a pivotal topic of contention between the gay community and conservatives, this year’s festivities were decidedly more pointed at the issues gays still face, rather than fun and frivolity. It was a widespread hope amongst the gay community that this year’s parade would sway some of the silent or indecisive voices on the issue of gay equality in their favor. The hope for change was even stronger this year than most; adding to the weight of the event was the 40 year anniversary of the Stonewall Riots, which took place on June 28, 1969, and spawned the Gay Rights Movement in The Village. The riots were, at the time, the gay community’s only response to continued police harassment and raids of known gay bars.
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Moni'ca Brown

Wait…is that Obama Doing the Moonwalk!?

So I woke up this morning and found this awesome video of President Obama (at Bossip.com) doing his best Michael Jackson impression. Isn’t it fresh (like 1988) that the our prez has so much rhythm?

Ok, it’s not really Obama; it’s actually an impersonator at Comic Con. But you know that our President could secretly get down like MJ if he wanted to. But then again maybe I am giving him too much credit. After all, he was looking pretty stiff while doing the two step with Michelle during all those inauguration balls.

Posted by:

Biko Baker