MULTICULTURAL BARBER SHOPS

Hi guys! 

Multicultural. It’s a word I’m seeing a lot more lately.  I saw it on the front of a barber shop on the way to work this morning.  And it made me wonder… “Is there such a place as a Multicultural Barber Shop?” The definition I would give such a place is an establishment that offers haircuts to men, women and children of all hair types and ethnicities.  When I thought about it, I realized that my son’s barber is such a person.  I’ve seen individuals with coarse, tightly curled hair, wavy hair and bone straight hair come through his door.  By the time he was finish the customer always left looking “on point.” LOL!

There has always been history in connection to black barber shops.  As far back as the 1800’s, they were considered gathering places for men of color to discuss whatever was going on in their universe at the time. Whether it was race, family, politics, sports, or just everyday conversation.  Barbershops were one of the few places where MOC would feel comfortable and secure.  They could vent without retaliation from the outside world.  It didn’t matter if you were a minister, lawyer, teacher or unemployed all MOC were welcomed.

In the present, the premise is still the same.  Whenever I tag along with my hubby and the boys, the people there are discussing what’s going on in the media, their families or whatever catches their interest.  But the parties who are having the discussions now vary.  There are men, women, Blacks, Whites, Hispanics you name it.  Race or gender stops no one from expressing their view on a subject unless that person feels that their opinion might be insulting in some way.

I remember watching the movie Barber Shop with Ice Cube and Queen Latifah.  One of the barber’s was a white fellow that had real skill with the clippers.  Like my son’s barber, he could cut anyone’s hair.  Of course, some of his co-workers gave him a hard time and told him that he “thinks he’s black.” This always caused some big arguments.  Clients rarely wanted to go in his chair because they did not think he knew how to cut “black hair.” LOL!

The way I see it, in this day and age, there is just too much going on financially to foolishly turn down income because you have an issue with someone whose either white or a POC. Money doesn’t change color depending or whose holding it.  Nor does it lose value when it’s passed from one person to the next.

If you’ve been trained, and have the talent to cut all hair textures then why not open your own barber shop? If you draw enough of a following, it won’t be necessary to have the word “multicultural” over your door. J 

Keep moving forward!

Od'aro and Good Night!

HOW DO YOU FIND THE TIME TO WRITE?

Greetings Everyone!

An old acquaintance of mine recently found out that I wrote Amachi’s Hope. (Check out my excerpt if you’re new here J) She was even more surprised that I found the time to create and now maintain this lovely blog. LOL! She complimented me on my success and shared with me that she’s also in the process of writing a book. [There goes another connection!]  Then she asked me the question that I am sure most authors who are mothers hear, “How did you find the time to write?”

As you may already know, I began my quest to write this book in 2003.  After deciding that this idea would be better suited for a young adult, I started more intense research in addition to my writing.  During that time I was already a mother (2 became 3), a wife, a daughter, a sister and anything else that was needed. (No complaints, love my fam. J)

In 2009 I had a solid draft but it still needed work. Believe it or not, it can take years to get your book where you want it to be. I went through periods of exhaustion and times of disinterest. Times when my thoughts and ideas would fight to come out. Or I would suffer absolute and complete writer’s block. Though some people say it’s an urban legend, believe me it does exist.

I would walk away from my book for weeks before I’d look upon it again. Sometimes that’s really all it takes. Walk away. Do something else.  When you look at your work again, it will be as if you had a fresh pair of eyes. At least that was my trick.

Whenever I worked on my book it was either at night after my little ones went to sleep, during my lunch break at work or the occasional “quiet” visit to my local library.  They say that any “serious” writer should always find time to write.  Even if it’s an entry in your journal or on a scrap of paper that you snatched off of your kitchen table; desperately jotting down your idea with your kid’s purple crayon before it slips away into the ether.

Uninterrupted time to write when you have children is a treasure.  Sometimes a supportive partner or spouse is the key. Or even a grandparent or sibling that’s willing to babysit for a few hours.  As someone who has been through it and continues to experience it; trust me it is possible to find the time.  No one said that you have to produce a masterpiece in each sitting.  But getting something down on paper (or on your computer) will make you feel like you’ve accomplished something.  Perhaps, it will bring you one step closer to your goal.  You guys know how I feel about that J

Good Luck and Keep pushing forward!

S-

AMACHI'S HOPE - STATUS

I’m moving forward on my journey to publish Amachi’s Hope.  After the eye opening experience I had last month, (See my entry on Multiculturalism in Schools), I would like to pursue the self-publishing route.  But I haven’t given up on finding the “right” literary agent or publishing company.  The one who will share my vision for what I would like my story to become. A tool to educate, entertain and perhaps enlighten a reader.

I’m pushing pass the obstacles and grabbing hold of the opportunities.  A few weeks ago, I entered a piece of poetry in a writing contest given by the Library of Virginia. The piece had to connect with one of a number of photos currently on display at an exhibition.

This is not necessarily my comfort zone, but it doesn’t hurt to try. I must say, had someone asked me to enter such a contest in the past, I would have looked at them with skepticism written all over my face.  I have gained a certain level of confidence since this whole experience started. And I’ve definitely developed a lot more backbone J  Has it been this way for you?

By doing this, I hope to develop another skill and perhaps make a new connection.  Especially if I’m one of the winners! J  You’ve got to keep your pencil sharpened even if it’s not just writing prose. 

I hope to have some more news for you in the near future!

Od'igba and Have a nice day!

BLACK PANTHER

Hi everyone!

I’m not an avid comic book reader but I do have a series or two that I follow. My husband on the other hand is a reader and collector. He was 10 years old when he brought his first comic book.  It was 50 cents at the time.  He doesn’t remember the name of the book.  What he does remember, is his mother throwing out three boxes of comics because she thought they were unsanitary and would draw insects into his room. (LOL! Man that old school mentality.) Sadly, he had over 300 of them. (Such a waste, SIGH…)

Through the years he amassed a pretty impressive batch of high-end books. Among them are The X-Men, Amazing Spiderman, Wolverine and The Incredible Hulk.  Before we were married, he would visit Midtown Comics (NY) every week. Something major was always coming out. (I was somewhat guilty of that too. (Totally loved Michael Turner’s Fathom series; still do!) I think my hubby was a bad influence on me.J)  Of course, as life intervened, the visits grew less frequent.

Recently, he started to rebuild his collection.  In addition to the regulars listed above, he made it a point to start collecting comics that featured black characters (superheroes, supervillains, a president etc.) such as:

Fantastic Four #52, First Appearance of the Black Panther

(King of Wakanda, Africa)

Hero for Hire #1, First Appearance of Luke Cage

Green Lantern #87, First Appearance of a black Green Lantern

(John Stewart)

Captain America #117, First Appearance of The Falcon

Iron Man #282, First Appearance of War Machine (Jim Rhodes)

X-Factor #6, First Appearance of Apocalypse (Origins in Egypt)

Amazing Spiderman #583, First Appearance of
          President Obama

 

As I “gingerly” reviewed my hubby’s collection, a question came to mind. ‘With all the issues that are currently going on with multicultural literature, how was the comic book industry affected by multiculturalism in the past?’

From what I have come across so far, superhero comics also endured a number of challenges and obstacles.  Black characters were often stereotyped and placed in jungle or ghetto environments or placed in the role of sidekicks.  Not to mention being portrayed as poor and uneducated; with negative physical characteristics. A lot of this also rolled over into the very cartoons I watched as a child. Disney and Looney Tunes were influenced by this in their early years.

There was a battle to remove those stereotypes by portraying black characters in positions of authority. Such as Marvel’s, Black Panther listed above and DC Comics’ first black superheroes Tyroc in 1976 and Black Lightning in 1977. (He was an Olympic athlete turned inner-city school teacher.) Or better yet The X-Men’s Storm (Ororo Munroe), first black female comic book character (debuted in 1975; she becomes the leader of the X-Men in Uncanny X-Men #201 in 1986). One of my favorites J

Dwayne McDuffie, (February 20, 1962 – February 21, 2011) founder of Milestone Media “the industry’s most successful minority-owned-and-operated comic company,” (As described by The Plain Dealer of Cleveland in 2000) said in a New York Times interview in 1993:

“You only had two types of characters available for children.” [When he was growing up.] “You had the stupid angry brute and the he’s-smart-but-he’s-black characters.”… “There was no diversity and almost no accuracy among the characters of color at all.”

It is not surprising to see that no matter the form of literature, there has always been an issue with the portrayal of people of color.  How long will this continue? Only God has an answer for that.

Unfortunately, not everyone understands that talent has no color. Your ability to create prose or give a story life through art has nothing to do with your culture, race or background.  Talent is a calling and a blessing; a way of self-expression that has been employed for hundreds of years. 

Are you an illustrator or perhaps a double-threat (an illustrator and a writer), who has worked on a multicultural piece of literature?  Whether it is a children’s book, comic book etc., I would love to hear about your experiences. Continue the good fight!

Mari e laipe and See you soon!

S-

AWESOME PIECE

For you followers of Tu Books (imprint of Lee & Low Books) here's an awesome piece by publisher Stacy L. Whitman. Enjoy :)

http://richincolor.com/2013/08/publishing-diverse-books-isnt-about-meeting-quotas/

CONNECTIONS

In the Yoruba culture, there is a deep belief in the mystical connection between objects and the forces embedded in or suggested by their names.  That belief also applies to children. The name given to a newborn holds great power. It can influence their entire life; behavior, integrity, whether he or she will become a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist!  

But seriously, everything in life has some sort of connection; a commonality that draws us together.  The same can be said about the relationships and connections that are made while we strive to put pen to paper. Over the past few weeks, I’ve been reaching out to number of individuals in the writing community. As you know, connections in publishing are extremely important.  It only takes one word from the right person or person(s) to either put you at the top or drop you at the bottom of a pit, never to be seen again.J

Another great benefit of a connection is the new perspective I mentioned in my earlier blog entry.  Someone can open your eyes to a whole new direction for your story.  A genre you never thought to pursue or even heard of. All of a sudden a door opens and all these new avenues appear.  An obstacle has now become an opportunity.  Do you close the door or do you grab that opportunity with both hands and see where it leads you? 

Almost two years ago, I reached out to an old college friend.  We were pretty close in school and until now I still can’t figure out how we lost contact.  So we started reconnecting and I was in absolute awe when I found out she was a published author and was currently in the process a writing a new book!  Not to mention, I completely forgot that her family was from West Africa; the same location that my story is based in. Overnight she became an advisor, translator, resource, supporter you name it. A simple phone call renewed a friendship and opened the door to a very valuable connection!

If you haven’t already done so, start reaching out.  Network. Follow websites and blogs. Create, develop and sustain connections with the people who can help you reach your goals.   Communicate with individuals who have the same or similar interests. Open that door and step through it. Epictetus said: The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.  That’s another good piece of advice.

Mari e ni'gba mi and See you later!