Uptown Notes

Do you know some Black birthers? I bet you do!

Guest on Addicted to Race podcast 112 on Gates, Obama, and deeper racial dialogue.

Why I didn’t jump up and talk about swimming pools or Skip Gates … and maybe why you may not as well.

Cornel West and Carl Dix tangle at CCNY on Tuesday night.

We remain in a moment where people are beginning to realize that the election of Barack Obama does not mean a Black political agenda, one in which race is central, will continue to be pushed into the public sphere. So the question becomes, who advances the concerns of the faces at the bottom of the well?

This Sunday, in Harlem, find out and discuss the direction for the new Black Left.

I spend most days in the classroom teaching on issues of race, social class, mobility and opportunity. The discussions I have always intrigue me, particularly because most of my students are people of color from working class backgrounds. After listening and reading, I’m beginning to think the belief that anything is possible, clouds us from seeing what is probable. I say this not to be a pessimist, rather because I wonder what the line between naivete and willful denial of reality is. And if there are or what are the consequences for this thinning line for our people.

Okay, so I managed to not succumb to the foolishness known as Popeye’s Pay Day (yeah, you know the special they were advertising) but leave it up to Fox in Minnesota and my people to make it into a news story. Okay, I guess this is funny, but I think I really want to cry! It’s stuff like this that makes me wonder if we gonna make it!?!

So I got an email yesterday with a link to this sign and I was wondering what your thoughts are on this? I imagine there are two basic reactions: 1) Outrage and ready to take the makers to task or 2) Shaking your head and laughing it off. Which camp are you in? Do you have a different reaction?

So by now, I’m sure you’ve heard that Disney has been working extensively on the “The Princess and The Frog” their first foray into a Black Princess. And some of you are now saying, “But Dumi, didn’t you hear? The Prince isn’t Black?” Why yes, I did hear that, but I’m not sure it really moves me. I’ve got questions for Disney and You!