Black Women Do Marry

Here is a post that I started in April, 2010. I kind of like it; so I'm posting it now.

Last night Dateline NBC presented yet another story about how successful Black women often times find themselves single. No, I did not watch and for that matter choose not to play into the media hype about how I may never marry or have kids, etc. Black women continue to be "the mules of the world" (to borrow from my literary idol) being victims of some of the most heinous violence known to man, to recently being the poster child for yet another "societal ill" (being a woman, African American, single and successful). When did that become such a tragedy?

I for one know several African-American women who are married and have thriving families and careers. One of my best friends is my role model and I have seen her grow over the years. I've seen her find and marry a great African-American man, work on her PhD and have three beautiful children. She is who I look to every time I see those reports that we cannot find good available men.

And here are a few other stories of African-American women who are married and have men that love and adore them:

• My mom has been married to my dad for 52 years. Yes, they have their ups and downs, but he has always shown the utmost love and respect to my mom.
  

• One of my former students missed his current wife so much that when they were dating and she was away on a trip he showed up with a wedding gown at the airport and asked her to marry him.
  

• A large percentage of my African-American sorority sisters (shout out to Delta Sigma Theta) have husbands and families. I see and hear about their strong and loving families everyday on Facebook.

So the next time you hear a report that is not so favorable towards African American women and marriage, look around you. While you may not have found the man of your dreams yet, there are plenty of examples that prove we still can.

Life's an Aquarium in D.C.

I have to say that the last place I thought I would be living is D.C. Yes, it's the nation's capital and Barack Obama is a resident here. However, most of my memories were of DC in the 80's. No one wanted to live here and most people who worked here, lived in Virginia or Maryland. Even though things are changing, DC still gets a bad rap. When I first moved here a lot of people advised me not to because of the "dangers" of living in the city. I've lived here for almost fours years now and I must say I love it (except I can rarely find a place to park on my street after 7:30 p.m. and I live next door to the fire department).

Gentrification is happening. However, there are still pockets of DC (my street for example) that remind me that gentrification hasn't totally destroyed my neighborhood and I'm glad. I love the fact that my neighborhood is diverse in every possible way. My street is a daily reminder that while most people would like to live in "cookie cutter" neighborhoods with people who look like them, dress like them and have the same income and values as them; the reality is that our world is very diverse. The more we try to turn our values into what we think others should have, the more we miss out on the dynamic and beautiful world in which we live.

“The real challenge of our aquarium, “Life’s Aquarium,” is to learn how to live together without having to live alike.” -Mahmoud El Kati

This Is Why I Teach

He's only seven.

You Know You' re Single When...

Saturday Night at Fridays

I was a little disappointed that I didn't get the photo with Ira Glass so I decided to drown my sorrows at TGI Fridays. While at the bar sipping a Mojito I sit next to this guy and his lady friend. To say the least, the woman was very entertaining and offered a lot of perspectives on life, love and what to do if you are pulled over by the cops and everyone in the car just happens to be high (I'm pretty sure the driver was sober, hopefully). Anyway, she makes this statement that kind of stuck with me. I don't know if it was the Mojito or it was actually really profound but she says, "boys do what they can; men do what they want."

Is this statement profound or do I need to stop over analyzing when drinking?

Sorry, No Pictures.

Mission impossible. I couldn't get the picture. However, he gave a great talk. He previewed the "This American Life" television show. It looked really good. Too bad I don't get Showtime.

On a Mission...

Ira Glass is coming to D.C. tonight. My mission- get a picture with Ira after his talk. Stay tuned to see if it happens.