Happy 25th Anniversary SBH!

This month marks the 25th anniversary of what has become an iconic publication for Black women in the US, Sophisticate's Black Hair.

It has also been an invaluable part of my transition as well.

Sophisticate's Black Hair or SBH as we fondly call it has had my undivided attention ever since I spotted the debut issue of it on my local Walgreen's magazine rack back home in May 1984. That debut issue had a smiling Jayne Kennedy Overton on the cover and quickly become the go to magazine when you were looking for anything Black hair related.

SBH was the brainchild of publisher James B. Spurlock. It was his dream to meld positive imagery, great journalism and a powerful 'Black Is Beautiful' message inside the pages of a magazine. While EBONY, JET and ESSENCE did the Black community's heavy lifting in that regard, there was a need for an SBH as well to sing and celebrate the praises of Black hair.

And 'sang' they did. As I flip through some of my old copies it was not only a cultural mirror of the times, it also serves as a style time capsule as well.

There have been a wide range of people that have graced the covers of SBH from Oscar winner Halle Berry to Tyra Banks to current fave Rihanna. There have been SBH interviews done with various Black women about their hair styling secrets that range from our various sistah Miss USA's to various actresses to the First Lady of the United States.

SBH also covers the wide range of hairstyles from bone straight to natural to locs, how to replicate them and take care of it at home in between the salon visits. It even offers advice and tips on the business side of it and advice from beauty experts.

When I was looking for a shorter hairstyle I perused multiple issues of it until I discovered one that fit me perfectly.

I also loved its ongoing mission of focusing on the beauty of Black women, and they even focus on Da Fellas from time to time. They will interview well known African-American men who will wax poetic sometimes on why they love sistahs or other issues.

And in every anniversary issue they name the 10 Best Styled Women of the Year as chosen in a poll of SBH readers.

I know you're curious, so here are SBH's 2009 Best Styled Women:

Rihanna, Mary J. Blige, Keyshia Cole, Beyonce, Tyra Banks, Queen Latifah, Halle Berry, Ciara (take that haters), Alicia Keys and Jennifer Hudson.

So congrats SBH for 25 wonderful years of singing the praises of the beauty of Black women and our hair, and may the next 25 years be just as spectacular.

Artist Ernie Barnes Dies

If you were a devoted fan of Good Times back in the day, you know that Jimmie Walker's James Evans, Jr. character was an artist. That character and the show introduced the rest of the world to the artwork of Ernie Barnes.

'The Sugar Shack' dance scene appeared on Marvin Gaye's 1976 I Want You album and the closing credits of Good Times. It also inspired a generation of artists. Collectors of his work range from Ethel Kennedy, various professional sport team owners to Sylvester Stallone, Eddie Murphy, the late Sammy Davis, Jr., Kanye West, and from Seton Hall University to the California African American Museum.

The 70 year old Barnes died Monday night at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles from complications from a rare blood disorder, said his longtime personal assistant Luz Rodriguez. Barnes is survived by his wife Bernie; brother James of Durham; sons Michael and Sean; and daughters Deidre, Erin and Paige.

His signature style uses elongation and distortion to convey a sense of power, fluidity, grace and intensity, addition to featuring people with closed eyes because as he put it, 'we are blind to people's humanity.'

Barnes was born in Durham, NC on July 15, 1938. His love of art began when he would accompany his mother to her job at a prominent local attorney's Frank Fuller, Jr's home in which she oversaw the staff. The attorney had a large collection of art books that young Ernie was allowed to peruse which fueled his passion for art.

In junior high Ernie was an overweight and introverted kid taunted by bullies, and spent that time sketching in a notebook. A sympathetic teacher who recognized his artistic talent put him on a weightlifting program. It allowed Ernie to excel in football and track in high school to the point in which Ernie was the state shotput champion in his senior year

He received over 25 scholarships, but no thanks to Jim Crow segregation couldn't attend Duke University or the University of North Carolina. He attended HBCU North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University) on a football scholarship and majored in art.

He was drafted by the Washington Redskins in 1959, but that was problematic once they discovered he was Black. The Redskins racist owner George Preston Marshall refused to integrate his team until 1962, and they traded Barnes to the then NFL world champion Baltimore Colts. After playing for the Colts for a season he moved to the rival American Football League in 1960 and played for the New York Titans, the San Diego Chargers in 1961-1962 and the Denver Broncos in 1963-1964.

He still pursued his love of art while playing and painted his first piece called 'The Bench' which sold for $25,000 at a Denver show. A painting of his caught the attention of Barron Hilton, who commissioned him for a piece and encouraged him to successfully apply to become the official artist for the AFL. His artwork began appearing on the game day magazine programs across the AFL.

That led in 1965 to New York Jets owner Sonny Werblin noticing his work, and after having three art critics appraise it Werblin commissioned him to do thirty paintings. It led to a critically acclaimed 1966 art show at Grand Central Art Galleries in Manhattan that jump started his art career and led to his retirement from pro football.

In 1984 Barnes was named the 'Official Artist of the Games' and commissioned by the Los Angeles Olympic Committee to create five paintings to commemorate the LA Games. He was also commissioned by the NBA to create 'A Dream Unfolds' for the league's 50th anniversary, 'Fastbreak' for LA Lakers owner Jerry Buss, and the owners of the New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Boston Patriots football teams.


Former Baltimore Colts teammate and Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson commissioned Barnes to create 'Victory In Overtime', which is now on permanent display at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte.

There are ongoing plans for a traveling exhibit of Ernie Barnes art entitled 'Liberating Humanity From Within' which will be coming soon to an art gallery near you.

"Ernie Barnes is one of the premier figurative artists of the late 20th and early 21st centuries," said Paul Von Blum, a senior lecturer in African American studies, communication studies and art history at UCLA.

"His richly detailed paintings and drawings chronicling the lives of people have made a profound contribution to the contemporary history of American art."

Von Blum said the works that Barnes produced over 40 years "elevated him to the top rank of African American artists in the United States" and "solidified his stature in the grand tradition of visual art, a reputation that will serve as a model for younger artists for generations to come."

I agree. He will be missed.


H/T Black On Campus Blog

Zoe Saldana's Playing Uhura!

I'm an unabashed Trekkie and fan of anything Star Trek related.

Since the word got out that Star Trek was about to get a reimagined makeover by director JJ Abrams, one of the questions crossing the minds of Black Trekkies was who was going to play Nichelle Nichols' classic role of Lt. Nyota Uhura?

It's not an insignificant question. Nichelle Nichols' role in the original series had historic significance to the point that when she considered quitting after the first season, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. himself urged her not to.

The appearance of this smart, sexy sistah on our nation's 60's era TV screens inspired a Chicago girl named Dr. Mae Jemison to become an astronaut and later make history as the first African-American woman launched into space. It also inspired a New York girl named Caryn Johnson AKA Whoopi Goldberg to become an actress and eventually play a character on Star Trek: The Next Generation.

Even Nichols herself worked for NASA not only recruiting African-Americans for the space program, but inspiring kids in my era to consider math and science careers as an ambassador for NASA's space program.

The person with the pressure of stepping into Nichelle's boots for this reimagined movie is Zoe Saldana. I'm a fan of hers from several movies over the years from Drumline to Pirates of the Caribbean.

When Zoe talked about her meeting with Nichelle Nichols, she is well aware of the fact that for African descended people, Lt. Uhura is more than just a movie role.

"I was able to sit down with her, and she told me the whole story of how Uhura came to be and where they were going with her character. It all fell into place the moment she walked into the door and auditioned for the part. She named the character herself ... and she felt as an artist, she was going to make the part big."

It's going to be interesting to wrap my mind around seeing her in this role but I'm curious to see how she's going to pull it off.

Nichelle Nichols agrees with me as well. She stated in a recent interview, "I'd love to wait and see what she brings to it so that I can understand, get to see who and what Uhura was like. "I would like to see what Nyota Uhura had that qualified her to go on that first five-year mission where no man or woman had gone before."

Hopefully they gave Nichelle a cameo role in the new Star Trek film, which hits your local multiplex on May 8.

Dr. John Hope Franklin 1915-2009

I was saddened to find out that 94 year old Dr. John Hope Franklin, one of my favorite historians, passed away on March 25 due to congestive heart failure.

I own one of his books and loved listening to him speak on various issues.

You also have to think about the things that this man as a historian saw unfolding across the sweep of his own life as he kept us informed and educated about our history.

Another one of our academic icons has moved on to his well earned rest, and while he'll be missed, he left a legacy of work behind that will never be forgotten.

Dr. King Assassination-41 Years Later

Today is the 41st anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Memphis.

I tend to get a little introspective on this day on multiple levels. First because of the historical significance of the event. I think about the man being taken away from us at age 39 and wonder how differently would life in the United States have been if his strong voice reminding us about our moral and ethical responsibilities to each other weren't stilled on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel.

I think about what he achieved in his 39 year lifespan and remember to make every day count. I'm also reminded of the fact it's exactly one month before my birthday, and I tend to for the next four weeks take a hard look at where I am in my own life, if I've reached any goals I'd set for myself to achieve in the past year and try not to get depressed if I haven't done so yet.

But back to the drum major for justice.

If Dr. King were around I think he'd be pleased on some levels as to what we've achieved in American society, but on others he'd tell us we have much work to do. I believe that Dr. King would also be critical of megachurches and their 'prosperity gospel', and their reluctance to fulfilling the traditional role of the Black church in standing up for the powerless and speaking truth to power.



This day is also a solemn reminder that fighting for justice and equality for all is not an easy endeavor. Some people like him paid with their lives so that the rest of us, as he said in his 'I've Been To The Mountaintop' sermon, could get one day closer to the Promised Land of achieving 'The Dream'.

Looking North

I've always loved to travel, and one of the best times in my life was working for an airline that allowed me the opportunity to indulge in one of my favorite pursuits. One of the countries that's very high on my travel to do list is our northern neighbor.

I've been fascinated with Canada ever since I was a kid. While my Black Canadian cousins may be on the other side of the border, they have made contributions not only to their own nation's culture, but mine here in the States as well.

As I became more aware of the history of African descended peoples across the Diaspora and cognizant of the deep connections that Afro-Canadians and Afro-Americans share with their African cousins around the world, and the similarities in our lives despite living on opposite sides of a long border, it has only increased my desire to visit the country.

I definitely want to visit Nova Scotia, see the stops on the Black History Trail in southern Ontario, check out Toronto and Montreal, and bounce up to the Falls and visit a certain Canadian based blogger and hand her in person the cornbread recipe she's been hounding me about.

Being in Louisville I live near the Ohio River, and every time I cross it on one of the three bridges in the area, the Kennedy, the Clark or the Sherman Minton I remember the symbolism of it. Crossing it represented freedom to those traveling on the Underground Railroad.

But I think that my wanting to visit Canada is a little deeper than that. It's as I make that journey northward along concrete ribbons of interstate highway I ponder my ancestors who were trying to get to Canada while being chased by slave catchers seeking to return them to the life of involuntary servitude they wished to permanently leave behind. It's also the desire of wanting to symbolically tap into my north of the border history as well.

The FLOTUS Official Portrait

FLOTUS stands for First Lady Of The United States, and First Lady Michelle Obama's official portrait has finally been released. Sistah girl looks so good it's making me want to swear off the Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream.

Well, after this weekend, since I just bought two half pints of it on sale and I'm tearing into one of them as I write.

One of the things I ironically found funny in the photo was this. Peep the presidential portrait that's hanging on the wall over the First Lady's right shoulder.

That's Thomas Jefferson, and he had a taste for 'Brown Sugar'. Word was back in the day (1802) that Sally Hemings was his mistress and he fathered six children with her. Never mind the fact that slavery was in full effect in the States at the time, so it's questionable whether the relationship between them was consensual.

Even though he was getting his freak on with her, he still held the typical attitude of the day that she was less than human. In his 1814 book Notes on the State of Virginia he advanced his suspicion that black people were inferior to white people "in the endowments both of body and mind.

Rev. Jeremiah Wright alluded to that during Inauguration Weekend when he parted his lips and made the comment that "Michelle Obama is the first African American sleeping in the White House legally."

Looks like the First Lady had the last laugh on both of them.

Zulu 100th Anniversary

The Mardi Gras parades are in full swing down in New Orleans as the carnival season builds toward its Fat Tuesday conclusion, with one of the highlights of the season being the Zulu parade.

When I lived in New Orleans I was a toddler and barely remember them, but we did for several years have in a prominent place on one of our bookshelves a Zulu coconuts from the 1966 parade. Those coconuts will be even more prized when the Zulu parade kicks off the festivities on February 24 because this happens to be the centennial year of the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club.

The internationally renowned Zulus have the the distinction of being the only predominately African American krewe to march on Mardi Gras Day, but it was a long road to get to that status.

They started as an outgrowth of members of Benevolent Aid societies prevalent in the Black community at the time and laborers who formed a local club called The Tramps. After seeing a comedy skit at the Pythian Theater about the Zulus in South Africa, they retired to their meeting place in a room behind a restaurant/bar in the 1100 block of Perdido Street and formed the Zulu Social Aid and Pleasure Club.

The Zulus began officially marching as a group with their first king William Story in 1909, but according to the history of the group had been marching in parades since 1901. It constructed its first float in 1915 and was incorporated as an organization on September 20, 1916.

While Zulus are popular today, contribute to local charities, the Southern University Scholarship Fund, give Christmas baskets to needy families, participate in the Adopt A School program and their Zulu Ensemble choir is sought after for local events, they ran into controversy during the 1960's.

As the awakening of Black consciousness and pride grew during the Civil Rights Movement the costume of blackface and grass skirts was seen as demeaning. As the Zulus became targets of protests by many Black organizations membership declined to just 16 members before rebounding in the 70's. It also took a hit because of the Hurricane Katrina induced exodus that was reflected in 2008 Zulu King Frank Boutte being a Houston area resident.

The only other time a non-New Orleans resident was named Zulu King was when jazz trumpeter and New Orleans native Louis Armstrong got to fulfill a boyhood dream. He not only became an honorary member of Zulu in 1931, he presided over the 1949 parade.

It isn't the first time a celebrity has participated in a Zulu parade. In this year's parade, instead of covering it, CNN newscaster Soledad O'Brien will participate as Mrs. Big Stuff.

The Zulus are also the subject of a yearlong Louisiana State Museum exhibit at the Presbytere in Jackson Square called 'From Tramps to Kings: 100 Years of Zulu'.

It contains 3000 square feet of memorabilia on loan from Zulu members and back stories of the group's seven comic characters - the Witch Doctor, the Big Shot, Mr. Big Stuff, the Mayor, the Ambassador, the Governor and the Grand Marshal. The exhibit also features a ballroom tableau of former Zulu kings and queens in their elaborate costumes and headdresses. If you're planning a visit to the Big Easy soon, the exhibit will run through December.

The Zulus have witnessed and withstood seismic social changes, two world wars and hurricanes and still survive and thrive as an iconic part of New Orleans. Their membership includes everyone from laborers to mayors and doctors all united in the purpose of continuing Zulu's historic legacy forever.

Happy Anniversary Zulu.

Michaelle Jean-Canada's First Black Governor General

As I mentioned, it's Black History Month in Canada, too. Since I do get hits from north of the border, and one of the Prime Directives of TransGriot is to talk about people and events across the African Diaspora be they transgender and non-transgender, I felt I needed a creative change of pace for this Black History Month.

I wanted to learn about and decided to focus on the Black history that's not only been made north of the border with my Canadian cousins, but being made now.

One such history maker is Michaelle Jean, who on September 27, 2005 made history in the Great White North when she was appointed by then Prime Minister Paul Martin to become the first Black Governor General of Canada.

Unlike our system of government here in the States in which the president functions as the political head of government and the symbolic head of state, those roles are separate in Canada's parliamentary system. The Prime Minister represents the government, Queen Elizabeth II is the sovereign head of state of Canada, with the powers and authority of the sovereign delegated to the Governor General of Canada.

Michaelle Jean is in effect the Canadian head of state. The term is for five years but can be extended for up to seven years.

While her role as the 27th Governor General is mostly symbolic and ceremonial, she is not only the Commander in Chief of the Canadian Armed Forces, it also includes among other duties promoting unity and culture within Canada and giving Royal Assent to bills passed by the House of Commons and the Senate, the final step in Canadian lawmaking.

She was the center of major political interest in Canada last December when Prime Minister Stephen Harper suspended Parliament to stave off a no confidence vote he was probably going to lose. The fate of his minority government fell to her under her rarely used special personal authority to appoint or dismiss a prime minister or dissolve Parliament.



Michaelle Jean was born in Port au Prince, Haiti in 1957 and as a child her family fled the Papa Doc Duvalier dictatorship in 1968 to settle in Montreal. She earned a BA in Italian and Hispanic languages and literature, a Master of Arts degree in comparative literature at the University of Montreal and studied languages and literature at the University of Perouse, the University of Florence and the Catholic University of Milan. She is fluent in five languages: French, English, Italian, Spanish and Creole.

While matriculating in college, from 1979-1987 she spent seven years working with shelters and transition homes for abused women in Quebec, aid organizations for immigrant women and families, and worked at Employment and Immigration Canada and the Conseil des Communautés culturelles du Québec. She also coordinated a study on women as victims in abusive relationships that was published in 1987.

After joining Radio Canada in 1988, she enjoyed an 18 year career as a award winning journalist, reporter, television news anchor and starting in 2004 host of her own television show entitled Michaelle, which featured in-depth interviews with experts and enthusiasts.

Her history making term as Canada's Governor General expires in 2010 unless it's extended by Prime Minister Harper (or whoever the next Prime Minister is if there's a no confidence vote that ousts him).

At any rate, Michaelle Jean is someone even we folks south of the border can look up to with pride, embrace and emulate as well.

This Is How Whitewashing Us Out of GLBT History Begins

Last February over at the Bilerico Project I wrote a post for Black History Month about the 1965 Dewey Lunch Counter Sit-In Protest in Philadelphia. which is the first documented evidence of an organized African-American GLBT civil rights protest.

The significance of this is that it happened four years before the June 1969 Stonewall Riots that kicked off the modern GLBT rights movement, and I wrote an October 2007 TransGriot post about it. I was sent the heads up by Dr. Susan Stryker, who does a yeoman's job compiling transgender history and thought I'd find that tidbit interesting.

I wrote this paragraph in my February 2008 Bilerico post on the Dewey's Protest.

The interesting aspect of this campaign is not that it happened during the height of the 1960's Civil Rights movement. It was an African-American GLBT production.

Little did I know that drama was going to start over that paragraph and the following one in my original TransGriot post.

On April 25 more than 150 kids in 'non-conformist clothing' showed up at Dewey's in protest and were turned away by Dewey's management. Three teenagers (two male, one female) refused to leave after being denied service. They were arrested along with a gay activist who advised them of their legal rights, were charged and later found guilty of misdemeanor disorderly conduct.

Almost immediately one who calls himself Tom started the 'challenging and silencing' tactics.

From your picture you aren't old enough to have been there but the man who offered to get legal help and was arrested was the Janus President, Clark Polak
( http://gayhistory.wikispaces.com/Polak,+Clark?f=print ). He wasn't African American. The quote you have is from the old Janus newsletter. I still have a copy along with the flyer that was handed out. It was covered in the old Drum magazine too - there's a few photographs in that article. You can see it wasn't primarily an African American protest from the photos & talking to those who were there. Though I'm sure it was inspired by other lunch counter protests that were primarily African American.

Dewey's had several locations and gays - and always drag queens - hung out there. Usually late night - they were open all night. They wanted gay people to use the one on 13th Street only and kicked people out. The protest wasn't just one day - it was over 5 days - my old newsletter says 1500 of the flyers were handed out and it was on the local television.

Of course, I wasn't backing down and this was my response.

Tom,
Dr. Susan Stryker and Marc Stein say otherwise.

And what you posted is an example of the 'whitewashing' of GLBT history. Here's an event that was predominately a FUBU production, that predated the Compton Cafeteria Riot by a year and Stonewall by 4. and here cone the comments that, "the advisor was white." etc.

It's the same modus operandi that changed the Stonewall Riots from a transgender and peeps of color event to having literally no mention of people of color participating in Stonewall.

If you want African-American participation in the GLBT movement, you have got to have concrete examples of our participation in it so we feel we have a stake in it as well.

Brynn Craffey got it, and rebutted Tom's comment.

Monica, thanks for sharing this story! I'm not well read on our history and I'd never heard of the incident.

Tom, go back and re-read the entry: Monica never said that she was there. And while the question of whether or not the arrested legal advisor was white or African-American is an important historical detail, it doesn't change the fact that Dewey's was a hangout for African-American LGBT kids, the protest was influenced and inspired by the Civil Rights Movement, and African-American LGBT folks played a prominent role in it.

I agree with Monica: the way you jumped in and tried to contradict those facts is indicative of a dynamic that is far too prevalent, namely, the erasure by whites of African-Americans, LGBT folks, Native-Americans, women, progressives and other minorities from history.

Once that was dismissed, the new attack line emerged courtesy of Timothy Hulsey, and it's a meme that whitewashers use to erase transpeople out of GLBT history.

At the same time, this article goes too far in the other direction, not only by erasing or dismissing the involvement of non-African-American persons, but also by defining "drag queens" and butch lesbians as necessarily Transgender.

Brynn pointed out once again what I already knew as a transperson.

defining "drag queens" and butch lesbians as necessarily Transgender.

Excuse me, Timothy? I've got news for you, they ARE transgender.

The comments thread after this initial February 2008 exchange lay dormant until January 13. Chris Bartlett then chimes in with more 'evidence' that the unnamed advisor in my Dewey's post was the late Clark Polak.

Dear friends,

First of all Monica thanks for posting this important piece of LGBT history. It is a huge service to all of us.

I want to mention, however, as a long-time Philadelphia activist, that Clark Polak, the advisor mentioned in your article above, was not African-American. It just isn't so.

I mention this not to white-wash history, because there were African Americans there and at Dewey's in general, and they are a proud part of our LGBT history in Philadelphia. I mention it because Clark Polak is an unsung hero in Philadelphia's gay history-- publisher of Drum, unabashed sex radical, and courageous confronter of the status quo. He was a natural ally to the trans people and people of color who were there that day. He took a stand when many others wouldn't.

I would agree that it is often the white people who end up in history-- because they often wrote the history in the past-- and Clark wrote a lot of history in his magazine. I will also not deny that Philadelphia has a long and shameful history, both in its LGBT communities and in the broader community, of overt racism that has made the stories of Black LGBT folks in this city invisible.

The answer is not to deny Polak's participation-- and willingness to both be arrested and defend the folks there-- but to interview those who were there to hear the stories of the black and trans folk who participated.

My friend Kevin Trimell Jones has started the Black LGBT Archivists Society of Philadelphia and is doing that work of collecting the stories, photos, and artifacts of Black LGBT Philadelphia. I'll be sure to post the link to his website here when he has it up and running. I'll also ask him whether we can seek Dewey's stories from African American participants.

My answer to that comment was:

Chris,

I find it hilarious that you wish for me in this article that brings to light an all FUBU production of GLBT history, and now you want to in the name of 'historical accuracy' want to claim that a white person was 'an advisor'.

Did white gays like yourself concerned (yourself) about 'historical accuracy' when Sylvia Rivera, Miss Major and the other transwomen who kicked off the Stonewall Riots weren't given their full credit?

This is the insidious nature of whitewashing history' and how it has erased POC participation in building the GLBT movement. First it's a 'white advisor', then next it will be claims 'The Janus Society helped plan it', then 20 years from now we'll be hearing this revisionist story about the Dewey Lunch Counter Sit In Protest that will have no African-Americans in it.

Nope..not today, not on this post

When we POC complain about being edited out of the historical record, this is an example of how it happens. I find it interesting that Chris erroneously tried to claim that I mentioned that Clark Polak was the advisor. Nope, all my post says is that a 'gay advisor' was arrested, and I got that from Mark Stein's 2000 book City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia 1945-1972.

The critics IMMEDIATELY assume it was the late Clark Polak, a long time Philadelphia gay activist. Thanks to unacknowledged white privilege, it never entered the minds of the people that challenged my post that maybe the arrested gay advisor could be Black, especially in light of the fact that the Dewey's in question was an African-American GLBT hangout and the incident in question involved African-American GLBT kids. It's also insulting because it implies that there weren't Black GLBT people or Black allies in general capable of organizing the protest.

Chris may not have meant as he says in his comment to me to whitewash history by harping on Clark Polak's possible participation in this event, but that's the effect of it.

Since it's your assertion that Clark Polak was the advisor arrested and you're so keen on 'historical accuracy of GLBT history', then it's incumbent upon you to go research the Philadelphia Police Department arrest records for April 25, 1965 and see if his name pops up.

My Dewey's post was simply talking about the event from an African-American GLBT perspective. It STILL doesn't change the fact that despite all this distractive quibbling over a minor point, the larger message is being lost that this was a predominately GLBT African-American protest that occurred four years before Stonewall, organized on 60's Civil Rights Movement principles, and was one of the first examples of a protest organized about and centered on transgender issues.

But it speaks to a larger problem in the GLBT community. For the longest time the historical record on what happened in the GLBT community was written by white people, with the predictable results of GLBT people of color and transgender people being erased from it.

Even in the transgender community, I see that happening, and it needs to stop. One of the things I discovered two years ago when I started suggesting POC names on a transgender activist Yahoo list in the wake of The Advocate's glaring omissions of transgender people for their '40 Heroes of the GLBT Movement' article, the reaction I received was a 'who are they'?

But that's the insidious nature of how the whitewashing of GLBT history (and history in general) happens. First it's trying to seize on a minor point, then it's changing the story to insert white people into this event, then 20 years later as with Stonewall, it's a Brooks Brothers riot.

Happy 100th Anniversary NAACP

If a Black person gets in trouble, he calls out two names, Jesus and the NAACP.
Joe Madison

Today marks the 100th anniversary of an iconic organization reviled by segregationists, conservatives, and Dixiecrats and revered by people of all ethnic groups who seek justice and equality.

The NAACP will be celebrating its status as the oldest civil rights organization in the States with a year long series of events. In addition to the Founders Day ceremonies that will kick off the celebration, the 40th annual NAACP Image Awards hosted by Halle Berry and Tyler Perry will be taking place later this evening in Los Angeles.

It has come a long way since being founded in 1909 by a group of Jewish and African American people in New York. And as Joe Madison's comment that starts this post alludes to, whenever there was trouble and we called on the NAACP, they answered it.

Whether it was getting the message out through its magazine edited by NAACP founder W.E.B. DuBois called Crisis, fighting to enact an anti-lynching bill, topple school segregation, having its legal arm under legendary attorneys Charles Hamilton Houston and future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall attack the laws buttressing Jim Crow, or assisting Civil Rights Movement campaigns, the NAACP has fought on our people's behalf to tackle the issues of the day.

That tradition has continued into this century with the Congressional Civil Rights Report Cards which track the performance of every congressmember and senator on civil rights issues important to our people to calling out the lack of diversity in Hollywood and various industries.

Here's hoping that the NAACP will add to it's mission fighting for the rights of the African-American GLBT people that are its members as well.

It's had a sometimes bumpy ride, and far from being an anachronistic relic of our past, as its new slogan boldly proclaims, the NAACP is now. I shudder to think where we'd be without the NAACP as part of Black America, and in Benjamin Todd Jealous it has a dynamic young leader to take it into its second century.

Another Brother Coach In The Super Bowl

Back during the days of the old AFC Central Division the Steelers were the team next to the Dallas Cowboys I loved to hate because they were in the same division as my beloved Oilers.

It was the Steelers that both times ended my dreams of seeing my hometown NFL squad play in the Super Bowl, and most Houstonians will never forget the 1980 AFC Championship game that was stolen from us at Three Rivers Stadium by a lousy call that nullified a touchdown catch by Mike Renfro that would have tied the game.

But when Super Bowl XLIII kicks off later today in Tampa's Raymond James Stadium between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Arizona Cardinals, Mike Tomlin will be attempting to become the second African-American head coach in the modern era to win an NFL championship.

The interesting side note to this game is that he'll be coaching against Arizona's Ken Whisenhunt, the guy he beat out for the Pittsburgh job.

Mike Tomlin has done in two years what it took his Steeler predecessor coaches Chuck Noll six years and Bill Cowher four years to accomplish.

Whisenhunt has been a miracle worker as well, transforming the once sad sack Arizona Cardinals to the brink of their first title since 1947, but he's going to have to beat the team in which he worked as an offensive coordinator for several years.

In addition to the personal history that Tomlin is trying to accomplish, with a win today the Steelers would claim their sixth Super Bowl Championship, eclipsing the record they share with the Dallas Cowboys and San Francisco 49ers.

Black LGBT History Is Your History, Too

Happy Black History Month!

While I could gripe endlessly about the fact that Black History Month takes place during the shortest month of the year, I'll chill about that for now and focus on the big picture.

The Negro History Week that Dr. Carter G. Woodson envisioned back in 1926 has not only grown to cover a month, but is now celebrated by our Canadian cousins as well. We are also starting to expand its focus to to encompassing the history of African descended people across the Diaspora.

Since history is basically the story of a people, Black history is MY history as a African descended transwoman. I didn't give up my 'Black Like Me' Card when I transitioned, and nor does being part of the GLBT community negate any concerns I have as an African descended transperson for the welfare of my peeps no matter what continent, country or Caribbean island they reside in.

Conversely, as a proud African descended member of the GLBT community, my GLBT history also belongs to you as well, despite what some hate peddling megachurch preacher tells you.

One of the things that's becoming more apparent every day is that African American transgender people existed before the early 21st century. We were living our lives during the Harlem Renaissance, in Chicago, New Orleans and in various cities like Pittsburgh as Charles 'Teenie' Harris' Pittsburgh Courier photographs and JET, EBONY and HUE magazine articles bear witness to.

That history also involves standing up for our rights as transgender people thanks to the people involved in the 1965 Dewey's Lunch Counter Sit-In Protest in Philadelphia.

There are also many African descended transpeople making Black history now here and across the Diaspora, and it's past time our Black family acknowledges, respects and embraces that fact.

Williams Sisters Take 2009 Australian Open Doubles Title

Well, it wasn't a totally bad week for Big Sis in Melbourne. Venus shook off her shocking second round loss to team up with Little Sis and grab the 2009 Australian Open doubles title in straight sets over Slovakia's Daniela Hantuchova and Japan's Ai Sugiyama 6-3 6-3.

The heat continues to be the other story of this tournament, and the retractable roof at Rod Laver Arena was once again closed by tournament officials with the outside temps approaching 115 degrees (40 degrees Celsius) for the third straight day.

Didn't matter because the Williams sisters were just as hot as the weather. They blitzed through the first set in 38 minutes. Despite some service problems they relentlessly attacked their opponents and repeatedly broke their serves to secure the victory.

The Williams sisters had previously won the Australian Open doubles title in 2001 and 2003. It was their third Australian Open doubles title and their eighth Grand Slam doubles title overall.

In addition, they have climbed into a third place tie with Virginia Ruano Pascual and Paola Suarezon on the all time list of Grand Slam doubles title winners. They trail only Martina Navratilova and Pam Shriver who won 21 titles and the duo of Gigi Fernandez and Natasha Zvereva with 14.

Big Sis told reporters that she feels she and Little Sis would have won more titles if they had played more doubles.

I agree. I think they'd be in striking distance of Martina and Pam Shriver if they had over the last decade, but it's still not too late for them. The next major is the French Open in Paris and then Williamsdon, oops Wimbledon.

Serena still has her singles championship match left to play Down Under, and I hope this was a nice warmup for her.

It's A New Day

After dancing the night away and party hopping at ten star studded balls in celebration of a historic inauguration, accepting the congratulations of other world leaders on his historic ascension to the presidency, and having 2 million people on the mall to witness it, it's time for President Obama to get to work.

First order of business was halting all of the last minute regulations Bushie boy tried to ramrod through in the final days and hours of his misadministration, making the first moves to shut down Guantanamo Bay, enacting tough new ethics rules and making calls to world leaders in the Middle East.

One I was especially concerned about as a transperson was the one that allowed health care personnel to deny treatment or dispense medication for religious reasons, and hopefully, that's one of the policies that's under review.



In the meantime, enjoy Will.I.Am's slammin' song that matches the title of this post.

Rev. Lowery's Benediction

TransGriot Note: Lost in all the loud hue and cry over Rick Warren's invocation was the fact that civil rights icon Rev. Joseph Lowery, a friend of the GLBT community was giving the benediction. Here's the text of that benediction


God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou, who has brought us thus far along the way, thou, who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee.

Shadowed beneath thy hand, may we forever stand true to thee, oh God, and true to our native land.

We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we've shared this day.

We pray now, oh Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration.

He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national, and indeed the global, fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hands, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations.

Our faith does not shrink though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.

For we know that, Lord, you are able and you're willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds, and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor, of the least of these, and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.

We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that yes we can work together to achieve a more perfect union.

And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.

And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.

And as we leave this mountain top, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.

Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little angelic Sasha and Malia.

We go now to walk together as children, pledging that we won't get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone.

With your hands of power and your heart of love, help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nations shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree and none shall be afraid, when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.

Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get in back, when brown can stick around ... when yellow will be mellow ... when the red man can get ahead, man; and when white will embrace what is right. That all those who do justice and love mercy say Amen.

Inauguration Day!

And so begins the day that our people have been waiting ages for, the inauguration of the 44th president of the United States.

The best part to me is that Barack Hussein Obama II not only shares my ethnic heritage along with the First Lady, we are sharing with the nation the best of our community.

I can't even begin to express my joy, elation and immense pride over what is about to transpire in just a few hours. The fact it's happening on my niece's birthday makes this day even more special. My niece will now spend the next 4-8 years of her life with her first cognizant presidential memories being of Barack Obama's administration.

Yeah he's walking into a mess. Yeah, some of you are probably so cynical about politics that you aren't going to even allow yourself the chance to believe that maybe we finally do have the right guy in the Oval Office to inspire us in this country to do great things, tackle tough problems and solve them together.

I have seen Black men of all ages for the first time in a long time express not only a resurgent interest in politics and doing things in the community, but chest thumping patriotic pride in the fact that the incoming president is a 'brother'.

Michelle Obama as the First Lady will hopefully give us the opportunity to forever blow away misconceptions, stereotypes and myths that have arisen about African American women across a wide array of issues. It is also a major point of pride to African-American women that the First Lady is 'one of us' as well.

It's also a joy to see the Obama's beautiful girls Malia and Sasha. I have been heartened to see young Black boys and girls across this country stand up a little taller since November 4. The younglings now believe it when their elders tell them that they can be anything their heart desires in this country. Conversely, their elders don't have to feel anymore as if they are lying to their kids or feel that sharp sting of historical pain when they say it.

John Thompson, Sr. said it best in a recent interview when he stated, 'The Emancipation Proclamation freed our bodies from slavery, the election of Barack Obama freed our minds.'

While what ails Black America won't be magically cured in 24 hours, a week, a month or maybe even during the four to eight years of this presidency, it's a start. It's also nice to know that with this presidential inauguration it shows us and more importantly our kids what is possible when you dare to dream, and then go after it.

This day is not just one for my community, but for all Americans. It's also cool to note that this historic day for our country is also resonating with people all over the world and across the African Diaspora.

It is also my hope and prayer that the afterglow from this day will last long after the music has faded from the parade and the last inaugural ball and the real work begins for the Obama administration.

United States Is Under New Management

Today is the day we've all been impatiently waiting for since November 4. Inauguration Day!

Today, five days after Dr. Martin Luther King's 80th birthday, President Obama takes the oath of office and we signaled to the world that the United States is under new management.



Out with the old tired, non-compassionate conservatism and paralyzing partisanship, in with the new school bipartisanship and return of reality based decision making to national politics.

The inaugural balls and parties will be going on until the wee hours of the morning, and when the sun rises on January 21, 2009, the work begins on restoring our country.

Happy 80th Birthday Dr. King

Today would have been Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's 80th birthday had he not been taken away from us on April 4, 1968.

If he were alive today I think he'd be happy with some of the progress we've made in integrating ourselves into American society. We're about to inaugurate an African-American president. ,We have made major progress in getting Black people elected to positions of political power and even have a few breaking ground in corporate America and other fields.

But Dr. King would also note that we have a long way to go before we can even say that a color-blind society is a reality. We still have problems with racism, inequality and poverty in this nation. He would probably decry our involvement in Iraq just as he would condemn the violence happening in our neighborhoods and terrorism around the world.



And, based on what his late wife Coretta has stated, Dr. King would not be a fan of people like his own daughter Bernice and other ministers who seem to think it's okay to hide behind scripture and hate on GLBT people.

This world and America itself would have been a much better place had Dr. King been around to share his wisdom with us for the last 40 years.

What we can do is study his writings that he did leave us, thank God for the time that he did walk amongst us as an inspiration to African descended people and others around the world, and strive to in our own way to make this world a better place for all its inhabitants.

Motown's 50th Anniversary

If you are a music lover like I am, take a moment today to bow in the direction of Detroit before it's over.

Today was the day 50 years ago that Berry Gordy received an $800 loan that he used to found Motown Records.

The 'Sound of Young America' eventually became a music juggernaut that swept the country. Music fans of all races danced to its infectious beat and Motown was the label that signed and launched the musical careers of Stevie Wonder, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson and the Miracles, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Diana Ross and the Supremes, The Jackson 5, Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, Mary Wells, and later Rick James, Johnny Gill and Teena Marie.

The 'Hitsville USA' moniker that was on the outside of Motown headquarters was prophetic. An astounding 75% of the songs released under its label made the Billboard and other national Top 40 lists.

Shoot, is it any wonder with the talent assembled there? Don't even get me started talking about the producing team of Holland, Dozier, Holland or the 'Funk Brothers' or the marvelous musicians that backed up the vocal talents of that Motown stable of talent.

Motown has long since left Detroit and after spending time headquartered in LA, moved to New York. It eventually became the largest Black owned entertainment company in the US before it was eventually sold to MCA.

But during that time it built a proud, pioneering legacy. It has even left its mark on Detroit politics with Martha Reeves currently serving as a Detroit city councilmember.

Motown is not only credited with paving the way for integration to happen in some cases, it radically altered the perceptions of African-American artists, how they are marketed and left an indelible mark not only on our culture, but American music forever.