Uptown Notes

A brief round-up of the best pieces on Sotomayor’s nomination by Barack Obama for the Supreme Court.

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

When is Black public opinion not public opinion… just ask the washingon examiner and Stephen Colbert!

We take Obama’s first 100 days to task in an in-depth post that no one will read … or I just clown and link to funny stuff like Richard Pryor … find out which one it is.

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?

The conservative news magazine has been really consistent with their critique and analysis of Obama, check out the March and April Covers.

Apparently people are replacing the N-word with President … even NY1 covered it ;)

Other sites have moving photo tributes, if you want those, go there. If you want something funny, here are two great pics that made me laugh out loud.

As the clock struck midnight and November 20th rolled in I thought about how 1.20.09 was emblazoned in my memory. I recall seeing bumper stickers years ago that had the date and “Bush’s Last Day” proudly marked. I waited for the date and was glad to see it arrive. I was in DC for inauguration weekend, so like many others, I was out partying. I knew that I had to get up at the crack of dawn, so I left my celebration and attempted to hail a cab to my residence. The weather in DC was a bitter, bitter cold, but I didn’t worry because as I approached a major thoroughfare I saw an ample number of cabs. I saw people hopping in and out of cabs and raised my hand to hail one. As I stood with my hand out, buzzing from the revelry of the weekend, taxis buzzed past me.I am overjoyed that the Obamas challenge stereotypes and have seeped through the pores of seemingly non-porous barriers, but that doesn’t often mean much for how we get along each day. Seeing race is not the issue, the system of racism is.

I don’t think I was really prepared for those four words, but as the clock struck midnight and November 5th rolled in I started hearing and reading the words “I am an American,” from many of my friends and family. Well, much like my man Ice Cube said, “I’m here to deprogram you, don’t forget what they made your great grandmama do, your great granddaddy do without a dollar or a penny or a thank you…”. I am very thankful for an electoral victory, but an election can’t erase the reality that we came from or live in.