Friday, July 31, 2009

A MyBrownBaby Weekend: Doin' It In The Park



My kids have only one more week before they head back to class, which means that somewhere between me shopping for school clothes and blowing a mint on Crayolas, #2 pencils, and notebooks, we have to get in our last licks on summer. Here, a few snapshots of the things we'll be doing this weekend. (I suspect water guns, lady bugs, soccer balls, and barbeque will be involved.)









(And no, can't nobody tell Teddy, our Goldendoodle, that he's not one of the kids. Seriously. The girls have taken to calling him their "little brother." Right.)

Have a happy weekend!




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Thursday, July 30, 2009

MyBrownTribe: Who Are The Bloggers In Your Neighborhood?



A question I asked during a BlogHer '09 panel had folks talking about diversity—or the lack thereof—in the blogosphere earlier this week, and sparked a spirited debate in the comments section of a fantastic post written by my girl, The Prisoner's Wife. The brouhaha got me to thinking about my online habits, and whether I've gone out of my way to venture outside of my blog "neighborhood"—to stretch, and reach, and open my mind.

I'd like to think I've done a good job of it. I mean, my "tribe" runs deep, dude. I read blogs written by black folks and white folks, latinas and asians, by men and women and straight people and gay ones, too, by food lovers and scrapbookers, political junkies and gossip wags. Nothing is off-limits to me; so long as the content is fresh, entertaining, inspiring, educational, thought-provoking, and, above all else, well-written, I'm all in. Yes, this sounds like a tall order. But there are plenty of bloggers who manage to fill it. And I just felt moved to tell you about them.

I encourage you to check out my fantastic tribe in this, the first in a new occasional series I'm tagging, "MyBrownTribe." Read them. Enjoy them. Leave comments if you're so moved. Oh, and tell me a few of the blogs in your tribe—I'd love to meet them! Without further ado...



TEA & HONEY BREAD This mixed-media artist, award-winning essayist, wife, and mom of two describes her blog as "musings on love, life, art, and beyond." I call it pure goodness—she's so peaceful and serene and smart, and introspective, and damn funny. The woman loves her cat and her beer and her photography and her craft, and it's clear she has a healthy respect for the written word. Check out how she's dealing with her life-long obsession with talking HERE.




ANY MOMMY OUT THERE
Renee at Cutie Booty Cakes introduced me to this blog back when I was all wet behind my blog ears and looking to join some tribes—specifically the tribes of bloggers who know how to turn a phrase. For sure, Any Mommy Out There fits the bill. She writes quite poetically/insightfully about the joys and struggles of rearing four kids, running a household, and living an authentic life. Her writing is, simply, addictive. Check out one of my favorite AnyMommy posts, her hysterical THE FISHER OF TURDS. Um, yeah—the title is self-explanatory.




AVERAGEBRO.COM
Dig it: When I wake up in the morning, before I turn on my computer and wipe the cold out my eyes, I read AverageBro.com on my Blackberry. Yup, I stan hard for AB, and I'm not afraid to say it loud and proud. AB writes about everything, from politics and pop culture to sports, music, and beyond—but all through the straightforward, no-nonsense lens of the average black guy. He's just sensible, you know. And hugely entertaining. Check out his take on THE COMPLEX CASE OF SKIP GATES VS THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE.


Enjoy—and tell my friends MyBrownBaby sends them lots of love and light.

[Photo credit: The beautiful, colorful neighborhood illustrating this post is by the talented artist Maria Cavacos. See more of her work HERE.]


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Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Wordless Wednesday—If You Think This is Bad, You Should See The Other Kid!



Okay, so Lila didn't lose her two front teeth throwing 'bows. Well, not really. Let Mari tell it, and an unfortunate jostling incident with her sister over a bowl of pasta just "helped" the first tooth fall out. The second tooth is somewhere on the soccer field, having been "helped" into the grass when it made an unfortunate connection with a fellow teammate's forehead.

Yeah.

Anyway, I just got a kick out of the snaggle-tooth phase. Too cute.

Lila would like the tooth fairy to know that she prefers cash, but checks are fine, too. Just leave all monies by the door, please. You may be world renowned and all, but she doesn't really dig strangers all up in her room in the middle of the night.

Thanks.


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Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Playground Politics: A 20-Something Black Mom Negotiates Strollers and Stereotypes



By TARA PRINGLE JEFFERSON

The judgmental stares start as soon as I pull up into the parking lot of the neighborhood playground.

Among the rows and rows of gleaming silver and gold Honda Odysseys, I pop the trunk of my 1997 Buick LaSabre, grab the stroller and head to one side of the car to unbuckle my 2-year-old daughter. Her hand in mine, we head to the other side to get her younger brother. I plop him in the stroller and take the kids to the maze of swings and slides.

The other mothers look up casually when they see me. Then they do a double take.

A young 20-something mom.

With two kids.

And I’m black.

I know what they're thinking. I live in an area where if I see another black person, I stop and make conversation. We are that rare. So our presence in our predominately-white town is almost always met with questioning looks.

As my babies and I move to the different areas of the park, my daughter jumping from swing to swing, the other moms and kids scatter as we approach. Honestly, I don’t mind, because I like my privacy and don’t care for chit-chat when trying to keep up with two kids under age two. But it just feels awkward, and that awkwardness continues when it’s time to go home and I get the disapproving stares as I load my kids into my car with the high mileage and loud engine.

True, I don’t have the 2009 minivan of the year as I schlep my kids here and there. But you know what? I love my car just the same.

My husband (then boyfriend) purchased the car for me shortly after we discovered I was pregnant with our first. At the time, I had no car and no easy way to get to my doctor’s appointments. That man emptied his savings account to get me that car to make sure we (me and our unborn child) were okay. For me, that car is a big honking symbol of our love, even more so than my wedding ring.

But they wouldn’t possibly know that. Couldn’t know it. When I get questions like, “so, is their dad in the picture?” I’m also sure they don’t care.

To be a young mom is one thing. To be a young black mom? That’s just asking for judgment.

I first noticed it with my first child, when I was in the hospital recovering after my C-section. Every doctor, nurse, janitor, even the lady that comes around to take the newborn photos, glanced slyly at my ring finger and casually made conversation like I was a single mom, even though my husband was sitting next to me and we were both wearing wedding rings.

People ask, “Are you the babysitter?” when I’m out with my crew.

Perfect strangers inquire about my salary and my ability to provide for my kids.

I’ve even been verbally accosted by two elderly women for, wait for it... sitting in my car with my daughter outside of the drugstore. They looked in my car, wrinkled their noses, and I heard one mutter, “Babies having babies,” as they walked away.

Deep sigh.

It seems like motherhood only comes in two forms: the confident/advanced in her career/30-something mom or the downtrodden/why-didn’t-she-just-keep-her-legs-closed teen mom.

I fit neither of those categories. And I’m glad I don’t.

I’ve learned more about myself, my values, my goals, my ambitions, my husband, and my friends in the past three years than I would have otherwise. I became a mother before I was ready, but who is ever 100 percent ready for the job?

Lots of people spend their 20s learning who they are. I’m spending my 20s learning who I can be, with my kids there to witness. I love that they will be there every step of the way with me. They’ve had a front row seat to every accomplishment I’ve had thus far. I took my final exams six days after giving birth to my daughter, my stomach throbbing from the stitches. I breastfed my daughter, then shrugged on my graduation gown and walked across the stage to grab my diploma. I got my first raise a few months after returning from maternity leave with my son.

They’re here to see it all, from beginning to end. When it’s all said and done, I will look back at my career and say, “We did this together.”

So when the other moms shun me on the playground, I don’t let it bother me. I hop in my trusty, reliable boat of a car, and throw a glance at the angels in the backseat. Wouldn’t trade it for the world.

Or a new minivan.

About our MyBrownBaby contributor:
Tara Pringle Jefferson is an Ohio-based freelance writer. A wife and mom of two, she pens the blog, The Young Mommy Life, where she discusses the joys and challenges of being a 20-something mom. She is writing a book about the young mom experience, set to be completed whenever she gets a solid chunk of quiet time.



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Monday, July 27, 2009

Chi-Town! True Confessions of The Blogrollers' BlogHer '09 or Bust Road Trip


I’m okay people! I (finally) made it back from my big Blogrollers BlogHer ’09 or Bust road trip to Chicago for BlogHer 2009 with Christie of My Life a Work in Progress, Lorraine of Ask Wifey and Jennifer of The Baby Makin(g) Machine. I met my people. I made new friends. I heard—and made!—some thought-provoking speechifying. Put at least five pounds of delicious Chicago vittles on my hips. And lived to tell about it (even with Chatterbox behind the wheel!). Here’s the re-cap:

Day 1: We rolled into Chicago five hours behind schedule. The Chevy Traverse was downright dreamy—lots of room, smooth ride, satellite radio with a solid hip hop station that played The Chronic, A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, and Bizmarkie, and a video player that rocked the second season of The Dave Chappelle Show. What's not to love? Side-eye at OnStar, though, for getting us all the way to Louisville, KY, only to start giving us blow-by-blow directions—in Spanish. Right. We made it all the way through Indiana and to Michigan the ol’ school way (nods to MapQuest print-outs), only to sit in traffic for three hours wading through barriers set up for President Obama, who was in his hometown the same time as us (I would have stalked, but, you know, you don’t really stalk the president without getting your feelings—and a few other things—hurt). So between the bad directions and the traffic, we missed all the good parties. No biggie, though: We ended up checking out the Chicago sites—the Harbor, the Magnificent Mile, some incredible architecture and street art—and having a kick-booty meal at Bandera, where the steak and the homemade Oreo ice cream dessert made my doggone night. My night, I tell you!











Day 2: I kicked off my conference right, with a stop in on a panel, featuring Cutie Booty Cakes’ Renee Ross (peep those super sexy red shoes she’s sporting!), about how to extend your blogging “tribe.” I appreciated the tips—visit other blogs, connect with people who aren’t like you, get involved in what other bloggers are doing—but I couldn’t help but to feel like there’s STILL a ridiculous amount of divisiveness/segregation in the bloggy world, in which mainstream (re: white-run) blogs that claim to be for all moms speak mostly—if not only—to white moms, and rarely reciprocate visits to/comments on/involvement in blogs run by moms of color who readily and happily support them.

Well, seems I touched a nerve with that one; twitter was abuzz with a few folks suggesting that people are “intimidated” by MyBrownBaby, presumably because the word “brown” is in the title and it features content about moms who are African American. I thought that was an odd little thing to say, particularly since I’ve written quite passionately HERE about how, though MyBrownBaby is written from MY perspective as a black mom, it’s a space that welcomes and encourages the opinions and insight of ALL moms, no matter their color/race/nationality/background/political leanings/big toe size. Needless to say, it got a little hot up in there for a minute, so much so that my girl over at The Prisoner’s Wife, a lovely writer you should get to know, wrote a post about it. Wanna see it? HERE IT GOES.




Anyway, you should know by now that mess like this doesn’t really shake your girl. I went to the Maria Bailey hosted Disney Mom Bloggers Reunion party, where I bonded with the amazing group of women who've all enjoyed the mom magic of Disney, and then headed back to my room, put on some lipstick and my six-inch glamazon platform wedges and high-stepped it over to the Nikon party with co-Blogroller guest Jennifer of the BabyMakin(g)Machine, the beautiful and talented Jennae of Green Your Décor, the uber cute and spunky Sheena of MommyDaddyBlog (who just is incapable of taking a bad picture!) and my girl Katja of Skimbaco Lifestyle, whom I absolutely adore. Carson Kressley was in the house, and a small army of masseuses, hair stylists, and make-up artists were there to pretty up the crowd, but the highlight for me, by far, was Nikon’s drool-worthy new camera, the NIKON D-5000 (its video capabilities and swivel viewfinder make it SO sexy), and Kris, a Nikon photographer who showed me how to use my D-50. I swear, Kris changed my life.


[Sheena of MommyDaddyBlog, getting her top model on]



[Me with Jennifer of The Baby Makin(g) Machine, a.k.a. Young 'Un]



[Me and sweetie pie Katja of Skimbaco Lifestyle]



[My D-50 is cute and all, but this? My dream camera!]


Later, we made our way over to the Macy’s Tower for The Lush Experience with my girls from Mama Law, the lovely Justice Fergie, Justice Ny, and Justice Jonesie. The three are behind the upcoming mom bloggers of color conference, Blogalicious (don’t you just LOVE that name?), coming to Atlanta in October. Their party was the place to be; Afrobella, Corynne Corbett of That Black Girl Site and a lot of other fantastic bloggers of color were in the house, and we all got to sample Lush’s handmade, natural products. Of course, I left with more products than any one woman should ever buy in one trip, including this absolutely deliciously citrus Sexy Peel Soap. Later, we had a sleepover, sans the sleep, at the Justice’s suite, where we polished off desserts and wine from their swanky affair, and talked until the wee hours of the morning. I’m absolutely in love with these women; you MUST make a point of visiting them at Mama Law, and supporting Blogalicious, where I and some other fantastic mom bloggers of color will be speaking.

Blogalicious Site Badge
© 2009 MamaLaw Media Group | Privacy Policy | FAQs| Developed by JFJ


Day 3
I kicked off my day watching a spirited panel/talk-it-out fest on marketing to multicultural bloggers. A rundown on the conversation in that room is impossible to do here; I’ll keep top eye out for any videos/audio of the exchanges, which were smart, informative, funny, thought-provoking and eye-opening. Bottom line is: Moms of color are blogging, we have influence and it’s downright foolhardy for companies looking to do business with moms to keep ignoring our divine power and Gucci purses. (Shout out to Karen of CHOOKOOLOONKS, who not only has one of the most amazingly beautiful (visually and poetically) blogs I’ve seen, but also holds it down for us on Momversation, one of my latest obsessions.)

Later, I had a chat with the Pepsico-sponsored Blog Talk Radio show with John Havens, who wanted to know all about why I started MyBrownBaby and just what I meant about that divisiveness comment I made in Friday’s panel. Somehow, we also ended up talking about the whole Skip Gates brouhaha, and then later realized that we lived in neighboring towns when my family was based in South Orange, NJ. Shout-out to John—I really enjoyed our talk about race, diversity, and the “N” word, which extended well beyond the taped show. Keep making it do what it do, John!



Later, still, I signed copies of “Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Man,” in the BlogHer Expo (it’s STILL No.1 on the New York Times Hardcover Advice Bestseller’s List!), and then had a hearty rib, spinach, and chocolate martini dinner at The Webber Grill with my The Blogroller pals Lorraine of Ask Wifey, Christie of A Work In Progress, Jennifer of The BabyMakin(g) Machine, and Justice Fergie and Justice Jonesie of MamaLaw—the perfect ending to a wonderful weekend.

I’d like to thank The BlogRollers for letting me ride shotgun with them to Chicago—we had such sidesplitting, Thelma & Louise-style fun in that Chevy Traverse, my doggone sides STILL hurt (get the blow-by-blow on Twitter HERE), and I’m so glad for the friendship we forged on our journey. The OnStar ultimately got us back to Georgia safe and sound. I’d also like to extend a special thank you to Disney for the scholarship funds that made my trip to BlogHer possible.

Um, what’s this I hear about BlogHer being in my hometown next year? New York City? Aw, now you know it’s gonna go down!



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Thursday, July 23, 2009

Diamond In the Back, Sunroof Top, Diggin' The Scene...



Oh yeah, MyBrownBaby rolled out on the world tour—i.e. "The BlogRollers BlogHer or Bust" trip to Chicago—yesterday, and it's been non-stop fun with The Blogrollers' Lorraine of Ask Wifey, Christie of A Work In Progress, and their fourth wheel contest winner, Jennifer of The Baby Makin(g) Machine.

When I tell you we had a time? We had a time. We left from Christie's house in our super sexy Chevy Traverse, which came totally loaded with all kinds of toys, including an OnStar system that connected us with our own personal assistant to guide us up the road, and a satellite radio system that hooked us up with all kinds of great music—from Earth Wind & Fire to Jill Scott. We also had the hook-up on the iPod, with Deejay Christie on the ones and two, spinning Craig Mack and, wait for it... Captain and Tennille.

Of course, Jennifer almost got kicked out of the ride when she revealed she doesn't like cornbread, collard greens, yams, or Thanksgiving turkey. After lunch at The Cracker Barrel—can I just tell you that being in that place is literally like being a kid in a candy store?!—she talked her way back into the Chevy by proudly professing her love of okra and chitlins.



Of course, Jennifer promptly tried to get us back for clowning her by planting a whoopie cushion in our seats.



Little prankster.



We're chilling in Louisville, KY, where we'll be trying out some of the super delicious products from Vintage Body Spa, a line of all-natural, organic facial and body scrubs, masks, and lotions, before we head off for our second leg of our road trip to BlogHer in Chicago.

Want to see what we're up to in the Chevy today? Follow each of us on Twitter at @mybrownbaby, @theblogrollers, @chatterboxcgc, @askwifey, and @thebabymakinmachin.



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Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Road Trippin' With The Blogrollers: And We'll Be Rollin' In the '64, With Everybody Singin'...



Oh yeah—today is the B.I.G. day! MyBrownBaby is climbing in the Chevy and hitching a ride to BlogHer with none other than Lorraine of Ask Wifey and Christie of A Work In Progress, the dynamic duo behind The Blogrollers, along with their fourth wheel contest winner, Jennifer of The Baby Makin(g) Machine.

The four of us met up last night for our "BlogHer or Bust Road Trip Bon Voyage Party" at Blue Moon Pizza in Vinings, where we quickly commenced to gabbing, laughing, imbibing BlogRoller-tinis, plotting and planning how we'll keep ourselves entertained on our five-day road trip to Chicago, and—oh yeah!—checking out our incredible ride...



Yup, we'll be rolling in this beautiful Chevy Traverse, courtesy of GM and the BlogHer Carpools. Sexy, ain't it? It's a seven-seater with all the bells and whistles—lots of room (we gotta fit all those bags full of cute clothes somewhere), satellite radio (so we can listen to lots of neo-soul, hip hop, old school, and R&B goodies), a GPS system (so that those of us who happen to be, ahem, directionally challenged, can get to where we're going), and a video player (I'm bringing Love & Basketball, Dave Chappelle's Season 2, School Daze, The Five Heartbeats, Coming to America, and John Legend: Live in Concert).



Later today, we're going to stop in Louisville, Kentucky for a spa party and dinner, and after a good night's rest, we'll hit the road again on Thursday, headed for The Sheraton in Chicago, site of this year's BlogHer conference. Our dance cards are full; along with all of the fantastic programming BlogHer has planned, there'll be some awesome partying going on. If you're at BlogHer this year, you'll find MyBrownBaby at the Lush Experience, hosted by the ladies of Blogalicious; the Nikon Night Out at Flatwater; the Disney Mom Bloggers Reunion at the MomSelect Swag Suite; and at the BlogHer book store on Saturday, July 25, signing copies of "Act Like A Lady, Think Like A Man," from 4:15-4:45 pm.

Otherwise, you can find me in the lobby, talking smack, meeting up with my bloggy buddies, and making lots of new friends. I can't wait to see you there, and to spill all the juicy details about my road trip with The Blogrollers.

It's. About. To. Go. Down.



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Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Invasion of the Personality Snatchers… Or, Hurray, The Teenager is Here


By NICK CHILES

It is something we parents can’t help. We look at our children, at their personality quirks and quivers, and we can’t help playing the game of projecting them into the future, like the sci-fi movie “Jumper.” What will she be like when she’s 30? How outgoing will he be when he’s 21? What kind of mother will she be at 35? Will he be able to survive in the workplace at 25?
If you are living in a household with growing girls, as we are, you sometimes scare yourself to death by asking, What will she be like as a teenager? In other words, Will my sweet little girl turn into a monster in just 4 or 5 years?

I was moved to do the Personality Projection Game recently because of changes I’ve noticed in my oldest. Changes to the good, in fact. Changes that hearten me as I look forward to going through teenhood two more times with the girls after the boy is on to college next year. When the boy was 13 and 14 and 15, I would mourn the loss of the personality he had possessed for most of the previous decade. Gone was the engaging, personable, funny, irrepressible little 6-year-old whose ebullient personality was so over the top, who was so outgoing and fun-loving that our neighbors on the block where we used to live in New Jersey took to calling him “The Mayor” because he wouldn’t hesitate to march up to any stranger and start the charm offensive. Back then when we did the Personality Projection, we easily imagined the boy as the first black president, or maybe a senator or CEO.

But then the early teen years came. They snatched the smiling social butterfly away in an instant and replaced him with Surly Boy. This kid was full of grunts and scowls and grimaces. Smiles were rationed like beef during wartime. He wasn’t a lot of fun to be around—which was on purpose, because he preferred to spend most of his time around his friends, anyway. During these years, I was afraid to even play the Projection Game—but when I slipped up and let my mind wander in that direction, I’d wind up pegging him as perhaps a future corrections officer (he's my boy, so I could never allow myself to think inmate).



Well, after those years of life with Surly Boy, I’m pleased to report a promising development: after the boy turned 16, we noticed glimmers of The Mayor returning. The sense of humor was back, as was the smile and the charm (sometimes). He didn’t even seem to mind spending time with the family. The Projections have started to get good again. Perhaps all will be right with the world, after all. Lesson learned? Perhaps we shouldn’t freak out too much about those early teen years. We should expect a (hopefully) brief invasion of the body snatcher, knowing that the sweetness will likely come back.

These are soothing thoughts as I notice the 10-year-old girl start throwing scowls around a little too much for our tastes. Uh oh, we can’t help but think. How bad is she going to be at 14? Will she even acknowledge our presence at 15?



And we remind ourselves: Trouble don’t last always.

About Our MBB Contributor:
Nick Chiles, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, is the author of six books, and the editor-in-chief of the travel magazine, Odyssey Couleur.



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Monday, July 20, 2009

MyBrownBaby On the Road: Living It Up In Hilton Head, Savannah, and Charleston



My family couldn't really afford vacations when my brother and I were growing up, but when I got a job and some vacation
days, I made a point of doing something special with my free time. When I was living in the New York area, I was partial to Martha's Vineyard and Sag Harbor, for their history and spirit and beauty. And because, well, I'm kind of a vacation snob. If it wasn't in the North or out of the country, I wasn't going.

But now that my family and I are down here in Georgia, we've become partial to discovering the beauty of the South. This past week, we took the kids to the white sand beaches of Hilton Head, the incredible squares of Savannah, and the breathtaking, historic Charleston. Here are a few highlights...


HILTON HEAD...
is a charming coastal community in South Carolina, just over the Georgia border. The island is pristine, with lots of lush green space, pretty beaches and architectural beauty—even the building that houses the local KFC is correct! You can go bike riding along the island-long bike paths, you can visit the 129-year-old lighthouse and the island-famous restaurant, The Salty Dog, or you could do what we did, which was spend a majority of our time swimming, lounging and getting really chocolatey on the beach.










We did make a pit stop at The Carolina Coastal Museum to check out a kid-friendly seminar on alligators. We learned everything we ever needed to know about the little (big) buggers—you can not poke their eyes out, they can only run after you for 12 ft. before they get too tuckered to eat you, and the teeth, not the tail, are the most dangerous part on the scaly reptile—and the girls actually got to touch the little one below before we hiked through the park, laughing, joking, and taking cover from the blistering sun. The sun sure makes for a beautiful sunset, though.









SAVANNAH...
is one of my favorite places to be. Its history is absolutely amazing—Sherman presented it to President Lincoln as a Christmas present after he slashed through and burned down much of Georgia. Savannah is, without question, a jewel of the south. It's 22 squares (parks), incredible centuries-old homes, plethora of galleries, and amazing waterfront River St., make it well worth the blisters you'll get on your feet just exploring its streets. When we go, we always take a horse-drawn carriage ride through the city, stroll the Riverwalk, get fresh lemonade and taffy from Savannah's Candy Kitchen, and hit the soul food buffet (and search for ghosts) at The Pirate's House.

This time, though, we also took a tour of The First African Baptist Church, home to the country's oldest black congregation. Constituted in 1777 and built by the hands of slaves, the church was part of the Underground Railroad during the Civil War. We touched the air holes in the flooring—drilled to look like a tribal symbol instead of a makeshift ventilation system meant to give air to the 4 1/2-foot crawl space that hid runaways. From the crawl space, runaways would steal away through underground tunnels leading to the Savannah river. We also sat in the original pews built by slaves, each marked by the tribal symbols of the Africans who made them. Below, Mari is standing in front of a statue on River St. that was dedicated to Savannah's slaves; we were told that where that statue stands is exactly where the tunnels released the runaways onto waiting ships. Simply incredible.










CHARLESTON...
is where you will find me when I'm old and gray. It is absolutely breathtaking—the history, the housing stock, the shoreline, the sailboats, cobblestone streets, the porches, the garden-filled courtyards. What was not to love? We ate Charleston blue crabs, visited the Old Slave Mart, once the epicenter of the South's slave trade, shopped for sweetgrass baskets in a former slave market (they're made from sweetgrass, indigenous to the coast of South Carolina and West Africa, and created exclusively by the descendants of the Gullah islands), and dreamed about one day making a home there. Too beautiful.











All in all, we had a wonderful time. And now, back to reality—home sweet home!



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Friday, July 17, 2009

{MyBrownBaby Redux} VOTE FOR MYBROWNBABY


My site was nominated for a Black Weblog Award!


Editor's Note: Like what you read this week? Feeling particularly generous? Consider helping a sistah out—it doesn't take long, it's free, and your girl will be awfully grateful. Promise.


MyBrownBaby has been nominated for FOUR Black Weblog Awards, the international internet showcase that gives recognition to the web's best Black bloggers. Since it's inception in 2005, the black Weblog Awards has recognized nearly 200 blogs in 30 categories, with participants from more than 90 countries; winners have been featured on media outlets like MSNBC, the Huffington Post, BET and many others.

And now, MyBrownBaby needs your support to bring at least one of these prestigious buttons on home. Click the button and vote for me for Best Blog Design, Best New Blog, Best Parenting and Family Blog, and Best Writing in a Blog, and I will love you loooong time. And trust me when I tell you this: You KNOW the acceptance speech is going to be nuts. That right there is worth at least one vote, isn't it? Isn't it?!

Again, just click on the "2009 Black Weblog Awards button" and vote for MyBrownBaby. You've got until midnight July 25th to cast your vote (but you might as well go on and get it done now—tee hee!).


My site was nominated for a Black Weblog Award!





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