BrownGirl Speaks

About a month ago, an acquaintance rescued me from my fast swelling natural hair as we enjoyed a free outdoor concert with our fellow local naturals. She has dreads down to her arse and I have free flowing kinky curly shoulder length hair. So, how did she rescue me? She took off her Tomoka's hair twist and tied it around my hair. Now, you're probably wondering how a hair accessory that could hold dreads almost as tall as me could also secure about a three-quarters less hair. It's the ultra flexible copper wire! Not only does the flexibility make these a feasible option for almost any hair length and thickness, they won't damage natural hair. I do have to be careful with the tiny hooked ends of the wire to avoid snagging my hair, but this is a minor issue. So, far I've worn it as a headband and loved it. It's so lightweight and non-headache inducing unlike traditional headbands. The hair twists can be worn in almost any style imaginable, from headband to ponytail holder. Mimi Fleming, the owner and designer of Tomoka's Twists, has crafted such a nice variety of hair accessories that you'll find one for any and every occasion. 

Ms. Fleming is also a gracious business woman. After a couple of visits to the website and discovering her shop was still out of stock of the design I was most interested in, she took the time to find out exactly what I wanted and contacted me when it was available. Small business owners take note of excellent customer service. And I'm not mad at her for having such an in demand product. Even in a recession, I find her prices fairly reasonable. Considering the amount of ponytail holders I go through annually and that I could wear my "curly girl" hair twist EVERY.DAY, the $16 price tag was worth it. 

So, all my natural hair havin', dread lock wearin', curly 'fro pickin' beauties, click over to Tomoka's Twists and support a brown girl and handcrafting artisan. 

This is a meme featuring links to some of the more thoughtful posts around the brown blogosphere. Tired of all the fluff on many blogs? BrownGirl is helping you sift through the bullsh*t and find the posts doing some real talk. Check 'em out and reply with equally thoughtful comments.

* This blog post isn't by a blogger of color but the subject matter is relevant. The question "Is my character 'black enough'?" is very significant in this time where there's a new, steady flux of white written black stories. The question itself conjures the erroneous notion of a monolithic black experience.

* Author Nnedi Okorafor defends her right to write about "female genital cutting" without demonizing the practice in her newest speculative fiction novel Who Fears Death.

follow her on twitter @Nnedi

* Natalie Wilson of the Professor, What If... blog has not self-identified as being a person of color, but hell, I'm giving her an honorary pass if she's not. Check her about page and you'll know why. Her provocative posts like the one discussing the gender backlash and sexism surrounding female fans of Twilight are always enlightening. Do I care about that series, not so much, but I do care about how the backlash can be applied to any form of media perceived as  "geared towards women."

follow her on twitter @professorwhatif

No new blog discoveries because school has had me in it. But enjoy the sweeps!

This is a meme featuring links to some of the more thoughtful posts around the brown blogosphere. Tired of all the fluff on many blogs? BrownGirl is helping you sift through the bullsh*t and find the posts doing some real talk. Check 'em out and reply with equally thoughtful comments.

* Renina of New Model Minority has some pointed thoughts when it comes to a woman's autonomy in public and patriarchy's influence and interference. Her piece was born from a re-reading of Cynthia Grant Bowman's Harvard Law Review article entitled, "Street Harrassment and the Informal Ghettoization of Women."

AND

The Hyper Marginalization of Black Fiction- the brief book list she started in the post alone is worth a peek.

Follow her on twitter @Mdotwrites

* Here's what's probably the month's most debatable post: Meeting Girls Where They Are at the Crunk Feminist Collective. CF Chanel points out Lil' Kim and Nicki Minaj as possible jumping off points for introducing our little sisters to feminism.

follow them on twitter @crunkfeminists

* This question of the week posed at For Colored Gurls regarding college educated stay-at-home-moms struck a nerve. Why do so many think that a woman becoming a SAHM nullifies her degree? I need more of degree holding SAHMs to respond to this one.

follow them on twitter @forcoloredgurls

This month's blog discoveries:

All Day Natural (natural/green/organic lifestyle)- Alicia blogs about wholistic health, natural hair, and healthy eateries to visit while traveling just name a few. 
follow her on twitter @alldaynatural

Savvy Brown (natural/green/organic/frugal lifestyle) - Savvy shares great tips on how to live a more natural lifestyle without going broke.
follow her on twitter @savvybrown

Repeating Islands (culture/arts/African diaspora) - News and commentary on Caribbean culture, literature, and the arts

African Diaspora, Ph.D (history/African diaspora) - Scholarship ad the field of Atlantic African diaspora history
follow on twitter @jmjohnso26

For years my diet has included little variety in meats. I adopted a poultry only diet over a decade ago. It wasn't reasons of faith or health. I was simply tired of pork and red meat. Pork was always the evil white meat. In southern cuisine, the fat isn't usually trimmed thus making it a major contributor to high blood pressure and cholesterol. In my late teens, the thought of a pork chop taking years of my life wasn't appealing, so, at 17 I was officially over eating a pig's ass. About a year later, red meat got the boot as I had had my fill of burger combos. It was considered eccentric and avant garde down South. When I'd have to reveal that I didn't eat red meat or pork, I was always met with "Oh, so you're a vegetarian?" I offended many when I'd joke that southerners think that the only sources of meat are the cow and the pig. How they forget chicken is beyond me.

Fast forward 10 years and I have a son who's 2 years old. He consumed a little meat for awhile but slowly began to eat it less and less. The family was cool with it until we all realized the kid's a vegetarian. Time went on and by 3 or 4 years of age, Zion completely refused meat. I was absolutely fine with it. I actually thought it was kinda neat that he seemed to innately be a herbivore. I also saw the value from an economical viewpoint: the boy won't eat me out of house and home. The family though was a little resistant to the idea. They felt it was too early in his life to make such an assessment.  Of course, I said no, we're gonna roll with it. And we have, right into year 7. He's got to be the healthiest kid on the planet. He loves everything healthy. I've never seen a kid get excited over homemade veggie soup. Over the last 5 years I've often thought if only I loved vegetables more, I'd be a veg head too. That's right, I do not like veggies. Well, very few. So, no I was of no influence on my son's vegetarianism. However, he did influence me.

Now, rewind to about a month ago. I ditched meat altogether. Normally, I would not reveal this kinda thing while it's still so new because I'd hate to admit if I have a relapse. After almost a year of feeling like I was dying a slow obese death, I got a Wii and began to exercise and great changes have occurred. My energy has improved and little aches and pains have faded. Then I joined Weight Watchers. It's been enlightening. I always thought I didn't eat much but I see that it was the quality and not the quantity that affected my weight. The next change I knew was necessary for the lifestyle I've been molding for me and my family was to become a vegetarian. So far, I've only craved chicken once. I do still eat some fish which the jury seems to still be out on whether or not it's actually meat. So, for those who wanna get technical I might be called a pescetarian.

I'm excited about the person I'm becoming. It's true that your 30's are about getting over the BS. And I'm sooo over so many things. I'm about longevity- mind, body and spirit. And today when someone asks me if I'm a vegetarian, with an introspective smile I say: "Yes."

I live in a community that was once a nice bedroom community of mostly middle class families. There were a few things that attributed to the decline of the area but the most significant was its annexation into the city limits. This had been decade's long battle and Hickory Hill finally lost to the inglorious city of Memphis. Most of the white middle class residents fled for the shiny, new cookie cutter homes of the new suburbs and many of the black families stayed and more Hispanics moved in. The area became notorious for its supposedly high level of crime. We all know how the media loves to sensationalize and scapegoat. This trend with the local media left Hickory Hill with an indelible scar and soon many businesses moved or were forced to close altogether.

After a 2008 tornado, which narrowly missed my own home, ripped a chunk out of the Hickory Ridge Mall, it was forced to close. A local church, World Overcomers, has purchased and reopened the mall as a retail and community center. I applaud their efforts in revitalizing the community. This revitalization included a community pride parade that took place on Saturday, April 3. Now to the point...

My home is in a small subdivision that has no through streets. There is only one way out- a major street that was part of the parade route. The problem came when I tried to leave and a local sheriff had the way out blocked and told me and several other residents that we could not leave under any circumstances other than a medical emergency. Yes, I was livid. Fuming. Pissssssssed! I do not appreciate being held captive in my home. The sheriff was no help. He didn't have a schedule or anything. We were just indefinitely stuck. About two hours later, I was finally able to leave and the madness wasn't over. I had to go the opposite direction of my destination and when I got to the intersection that would allow me to turn and get on the right path, the bumbling officers who were supposed to direct traffic were standing shrugging their shoulders. Traffic was not following the traffic lights. The turning lane was blocked by a squad car and when I had to yell out of my window "Hello! Can I turn here?!", the officer casually replied, "Yeah."

Now rewind to when I and several of my neighbors had to drive in reverse back to our homes. I told my immediate neighbor that I was filing a complaint with the city because the church they issued the permit to did not do due diligence and make sure that this small enclave of residents were each given the route and approximate time that the parade would come down the street that is the only way out of their neighborhood. We, in turn, would not all be so upset at this blatant disregard of our time and presence. We would made sure that we hauled ass out of there before said time or known we'd be trapped...for hours. This was completely unacceptable and avoidable if things were done properly. Even though I was not attending the parade because of a prior commitment, I was very pleased with the gesture to unite the community. But how it all went down just marred the celebration for me.

I usually don't chatter for my Saturday Sounds posts, but thought I should explain that I'm not sad or depressed regarding this selection. I just love this song- the vocals, the acoustic guitar, the melody. I first heard it last year in the Degrassi: TNG episode "Jane Says". Yesterday, I finally found the title and a video. I have this thing for melancholic songs. I need them in my arsenal of sanity tunes. Melancholic songs help me sing out my issues when I need to and this is definitely going into the arsenal.

Friday I attended my monthly home school group meeting and we focused on healthy eating. Our host prepared a variety of treats like fresh salad, baked brie, and homemade hummus. I brought some of my own homemade granola. After we feasted, we watched the documentary Food Inc. This documentary I implore everyone to see. I think it should  be shown not only in individual households but also, in schools and churches to educate people where and how the meat they consume gets from the farm to the grocery stores. It is not an easy film to watch but a little gagging is worth the eye-opening experience and the knowledge anyone would take away. I've already been slowly phasing out the few meats (poultry) I consume to match my son's vegetarian diet and the lasting images and stories from Food Inc. are making it easier. We all ave to know and understand that four corporations control a majority of the meat industry. We have to know and understand that because they have so little concern for consumers that they will have their meat sources bred and harvested in such deplorable conditions that they lead to massive e. coli outbreaks which can and have been deadly. We have to know that the farmers these companies employ are basically modern-day sharecroppers as some of them take on exorbitant loans that their meager salaries will never allow them to pay off in a lifetime. But don't think that this documentary is a ploy to undermine the meat industry as you'll not only see unethical farming and harvesting by some major corporations but also, ethical and humane practices by smaller indie farmers. It's simply about educating us consumers on making informed choices when we shop for meat and to use our voice-dollars-to demand change. The film also goes a bit into the use of soybeans and corn. The corn segment should shed light on why we suddenly have commercials touting the consumption of high fructose corn syrup is fine "in moderation". I call FOUL on that, but I'll let you be your own judge. So, please strongly consider viewing the documentary which is currently available at Netflix on DVD and instant stream and through the official website for hosting school viewings.

The admin. for my online coupon group sent us a message about a mom who plans her family of six's meals for an entire year. Here was my response via email:

Wow, I mean...wow. I don't know how to respond to that. Well, one problem is you're gonna be eating a lot of processed food like all that Rice-a-Roni she had stockpiled. But still that's amazing to do that with that many people to feed. There's only three of us and I can't wrap my head around meal planning for a whole year.

Now, is this really feasible for the masses? Can it be done with healthier, fresh foods without necessarily be vegetarian or vegan? What say you?