Category: African Americans

Black History Month Review: “Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat”

I ran across a racist cartoon from 1941 on You Tube called “Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat”. It’s an animated music video about a Black woman referred to as Mama. Mama is a wash woman, meaning she does laundry for a living. She washes clothes by hand in a metal pail with a scrub board to the beat of a jazz tune. Mama is a likeable character that happily smiles and claps her hands to the beat of a song about her rubbing her knuckles raw washing clothes for others.

Most of the commentary under the video was supportive of the video. Many viewers enjoyed the video, saw it as positive or made excuses for the portrayal of Black people. Some commentators enjoyed the video because it brought back childhood memories. I can’t say I’m surprised by the commentary on social media regarding this video.

Black people are portrayed as sub human in “Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat”. They live in a town called Lazy Town. Everything in this town is lazy and slow moving. The inhabitants of Lazy Town are slow moving, slow talking, ugly, dumb and quarrelsome. The one person in the video that has human like characteristics is a biracial or perhaps 1/4 Black woman. She is pretty, smart and has a human voice.

The men of Lazy Town perk up and become more energetic when the mixed race woman comes ashore. The only feminine looking women in the cartoon are fair skinned. The light skinned feature of the video is no lady. She struts around Lazy Town in a see through skirt. The men run behind her in excitement. Most of the darker skinned women are all heavy set with deep voices. The little girls even have deep voices.

I was aware of these portrayals before this popped up on You Tube. Newspaper comic strips use to mock Black people in newspapers daily. I recall a “Mammy” character in the old “Tom & Jerry” cartoons from my own childhood.

I think that there is some truth to the way men of Lazy Town reacted to the fair skinned women. Black men have defended their preference for lighter skinned women for years in public. Fair skinned women are the beauty standard in the Black community. Black men have been successfully brainwashed by racist media and it persists to this day. If you want proof look for the Black Manosphere on You Tube. They have been expressing their disdain for Black women that look Black for well over a decade. The Black Manosphere refers to Black women that look like Black women as masculine, loud and criticize Black women for having children. I won’t post a link but please feel free to explore You Tube on your own for more information. Instead here is an old clip from “The Ricki Lake Show”.

First, I’ll address the lazy and slow moving stereo type. Black Americans were concentrated in the south eastern United States. It gets hot and humid in the south. They were also performing labor intensive tasks like picking cotton. Black people were tired and likely suffering from heat stroke. Picking cotton in high heat and humidity all day would do that to a person.

The residents of Lazy Town ate watermelon and had chickens. The towns folk were likely share croppers as all four of my grand parents were. They didn’t make much money. My mother told me once that she was paid by the weight of the cotton. After picking cotton all day she earned $3. $3 for the entire day. My mother was one of nine children. My mom’s family was typical of Black southern families. They were dirt poor and lived in poverty.

I never understood why eating watermelon and chicken was a negative stereotype. I unabashedly enjoy both with no shame. The answer is that anything associated with Black people and Black communities is mocked and made into something negative. Watermelon is relatively easy to grow. Small seeds give you a large fruit. Watermelon was an economical crop for large, Black families for whom food was scarce. Growing watermelon was a smart means of surival.

Chicken is a relatively cheap and easy animal to raise. It provides meat and eggs. Poultry was accessible to Black families unlike livestock like cattle that requires a lot of land and is expensive. Chicken was economical for a poor community. As far as voraciously eating chicken and watermelon I’m sure Black people were hungry. Hunger was constant. Of course they hungrily ate and were grateful to what was available to them. I sure can’t blame them.

Those are just a few of my thoughts on “Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat”. The short film speaks volumes about American history in culture in less than seven minutes. The You Tube comment section under further educates viewers on current attitudes towards Black people. I hope you enjoyed my insights and commentary on this video.

“Little Black Sambo” was the next video suggested to me after “Scrub Me Mama With a Boogie Beat”.

Black Women are Human and Humans aren’t Always Nice

Social media loves to harp on Black women that aren’t so sweet or come off as self serving. They will fixate on it for days. If a Black woman is snarky, mean, puts herself first or isn’t cheerleadery the public takes great offense to this and hopes for her downfall.

Black women are human and sometimes humans aren’t nice. All humans are different. If a Black woman isn’t super nice to you get over it. She doesn’t owe you anything anyway. People that you don’t know don’t owe you nice.

Men (all) are left to rape, steal, pillage and destroy. Some support their actions and make excuses for them. Non Black women often remain unscathed regardless of their words or actions because they are great at deflecting the matter or someone will stand up for them.

People insist that Black women be nurturing, supportive and sappily sweet at all times without fail. That expectation is exhausting. Who is doing all that for Black women? No one. The main people complaining about the women pictured above are other Black women. We all have that sweet and nurturing side to us. It’s reserved for who we want to share it with. It’s not for public consumption.

Black women aren’t being allowed a full range of personality traits the way others are. Black women aren’t being allowed to be human. It’s as if Black women can only exist within a very narrow range. Give people space space to be who they are. If you don’t like them give them enough space that you don’t see or hear from them. It’s that simple.

I’m not advocating being mean, haughty or arrogant. I’m just bringing attention to a double standard. All of these men have made careers by being blunt, direct, rude, mean, selfish and greedy. They are admired for it and their nastiness or gruff personality alone is what made them successful. Trump was elected president for being “politically incorrect” in other words rude.

Ironically, social media pundits that are critical of snarky Black women absolutely love Black women who are mean violent and clown themselves on reality TV and fight videos. They eat it up with a spoon. But if a Black woman in a position of authority or leadership acts like she’s in charge she’s seen as problematic.

I’m not advocating being a nasty person with poor manners. I have taken issue with Tyra and Wendy. Aretha was clearly a diva. Anyone speaking from a pulpit needs to choose their words carefully. But stop thinking every Black woman owes you nice all the time. It’s as if people want Black women to earn acceptance that they would freely give others. Black women are human and humans are not always likeable and nice but be fair.

Product Review: Cristalbox Keratin Hair Mask

I’ve been watching videos of women with Keratin treatments on social media for years. They are fascinating. The hair looks fake and like it’s made of plastic but the hair has a liquid quality to it. It looks beautiful.

The models in these videos usually have naturally straight and long hair. I don’t have naturally straight or long hair but I decided to try a keratin treatment to see what affect it would have on my hair. My hair is naturally kinky and chemically straightened. I describe it as spongy.

The keratin mask is easy to use and not time consuming. The mask left my hair very soft and bouncy and it smells nice. I’m glad I decided to try the product. I wasn’t sure what to expect so I didn’t want to invest a great deal. I ordered a Keratin Hair Mask by Cristalbox for $11.99. I was pleased with the product and recommend it for anyone.

Don’t Over Complicate This: Payton Gendron

Payton Gendron is an eighteen year old man from upstate New York who killed ten people at a grocery store in Buffalo, New York on Saturday. He shot three others who survived their injuries. Payton drove for three hours to attack Tops Grocery Store. It was a target because it was in a Black neighborhood. The zip code of the super market has a high percentage of Black residents.

Payton Gendron wrote a manifesto in which he described his White supremacist ideas and plans for the ambush of the supermarket. Payton visited the supermarket before the attack to get familiar with it. I’m sure he studied the layout, security, staff and patrons.

Most of the victims of the supermarket attack were senior citizens. Seven of the ten that died are over sixty years old. Only two of the victims including survivors are less than forty. Payton Gendron is a coward who attacked a soft target and a vulnerable population.

https://www.wkbw.com/news/local-news/remembering-the-victims-10-lives-lost-in-the-buffalo-mass-shooting

He could have just as easily chosen to attack a bar, night club or concert that would interest young people. But instead he chose to wage war on the elderly just as Dylan Roof did when he attacked a Bible study in a church in 2015. The Bible study was a meeting of mostly middle aged women. These men are cowards.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/church-shooting-victims/

Payton is also a coward with no logic. News reports state that Payton’s manifesto expressed concerns over White birth rates. Black people don’t have anything to do with that. White birth rates are an in house matter. Black people don’t have anything to do with whether White people are born or not. If an eighteen year old White man is concerned about White babies being born he’s certainly in a position to do something about that. Leave old Black people out of it.

Payton had to drive a long way to find enough Black people to execute. That tells me that he has no contact with Black people in his town. No one is bothering him. He’s obsessed with people that he has never even met. Payton has a deranged fixation on Black people.

I’ve noticed on social media that a lot of racists live in parts of the US or even the world that are exclusively White. Yet they are focused on Black people from places like upstate New York, Idaho and Poland. The preoccupation doesn’t make any sense.

There aren’t that many Black people in the US. Black people are mostly segregated. If someone doesn’t like Black people it shouldn’t be much of a problem. Any interactions someone like Payton would have with one would be minimal.

I’ve worked in several public facing, customer service positions. I’ve picked up on racist attitudes from customers while performing job duties. It’s interesting to me how they like to let you know where they are coming from without directly saying it.

Meanwhile, I’m just trying to get through a work day. A customer is just work to me. Some of them like to create unnecessary interactions. It’s almost like they want to test you and study you in some way. The behavior is bizarre.

Handle whatever business you need to handle and leave it at that. I’ve experienced this outside of workplace situations too. I’m friendly by nature but I’ve learned to keep people at a distance and keep things short and to the point until I understand a peron’s intent.

There is a lot of chatter about what is to blame for the Tops Supermarket Massacre. I blame Peyton Gendron and his accomplices who supplied him with armor. But I question his parents. Peyton is eighteen. He has displayed problematic behavior at school. I doubt they are surprised by his ideology. Where did he keep his weapons? Was the body armor kept at his parents house?

Kyle Rittenhouse was driven across state line to a riot in Kenosha, Wisconsin by his mother. Kyle received a great deal of support for killing two people after claiming self defense for being in a situation he had no business in and having a weapon he shouldn’t have had.

He had the support of his mother, the general public and the judge presiding over the trial and ultimately a jury. I wonder if Payton’s parents are White supremacist stage parents that urged their son to kill old ladies at the supermarket on a Saturday afternoon. I wouldn’t be surprised. How does someone who shares a roof with you pull off something like this and you have no idea of their plans?

https://nypost.com/2022/05/15/fbi-interviews-parents-of-alleged-buffalo-shooter-payton-gendron/

Don’t over complicate this. The problem is Payton Gendron. He published his manifesto on line. He made the decision to drive for hours to a Black neighborhood and carry out a diabolical plan. He made the decision to kill old people in a supermarket.

Blaming big tech, TV personalities, social media, politics, the history and culture of the US, the Second Amendment (even though I favor gun control) or mental health problems make excuses for the man who was so consumed with illogical hatred and paranoia that he murdered ten in cold blood and injured three more. A lot of politicians, media personalities and organized racist units have their own crosses to bear but Payton Gendron is squarely responsible for the massacre at Tops Grocery Store. No excuses.

Here’s What’s Missing from Cam’s Argument

Cam Newton made public statements recently that have been heavily criticized. Cam said that a woman’s purpose is to cater to her man. Fine. That’s great, especially if a woman can land a man with Cam Newton’s kind of money.

But there were some things missing from his statement. What’s missing is the man’s role. What did the man do to deserve having a woman cater to him. In the case of Cam Newton and his public relationships he didn’t seem to offer love, loyalty, devotion, respect or honor.

Cam Newton didn’t marry Kia Proctor, the mother of his first four children. They had a relationship for around five years. He didn’t marry IG model La Reina Shaw, the mother of his youngest child either. I’m unsure of the state of the relationship between La Reina and Cameron but they don’t seem to be a couple.

Kia is thirty three and an unmarried mom of five. She has a daughter from a relationship before she met Cam Newton and she has four with Cam. What did she really get from that relationship? She spent the prime years of her youth catering to Cameron and having his children.

If Cam was devoted to Kia and their family unit he would be worth catering to particularly since he’s wealthy. But that was not the case. Cam said the relationship changed over time and he became a different person over the years. It’s clear that maintaining their family unit and raising the children in a traditional home was not a priority for Cameron. I’m sure Kia catered to Cam. What did that get her?

Kia got older and preoccupied with motherhood. She was no longer the DC stripper that charmed her way into the NFL quarterback’s heart. I certainly hope she got a nice piece of property or a lump sum of money for her efforts. But she may have been able to get that without tying herself to Cameron. I’m sure Cam would be a great sugar daddy. But he doesn’t seem to be very good husband material.

La Reina seems to be a fling that resulted in a child. It’s hard to say but Cam isn’t showing any devotion and love to her either. I don’t think a man is worth catering to for an extended amount of time if he doesn’t honor and respect you. In Cam’s defense that’s probably not even what La Reina was seeking.

I don’t think there’s anything wrong with a woman catering to a man but choose one with long term potential. Otherwise you’re wasting time and energy and you’re limiting future opportunities. Kia and La Reina will have complicated families if they get married to new partners while their children are still minors. The greatest baggage of all is Cam Newton. It all sounds like a big headache to me.

Women should cater to their husbands. In order to become a husband a man needs to prove himself honorable. Women should cater to men that are loyal, loving and devoted to them and their children.

There is no reason to waste energy and time on fly by night relationships. Obviously, that’s the case even if he’s rich like Cam. Kia should have gotten some nice jewelry and and kept on stripping. La Reina should have gotten a few nice vacations and kept on IG modeling. They both would have been better off keeping Cam at a distance. If they met that rich guy they could have met a different one; one with long term potential. Women need to invest wisely.

https://www.tmz.com/2022/04/12/cam-newton-says-women-should-cater-to-man-needs-know-when-to-be-quiet/

Film Review: King Richard

I watched the Will Smith film “King Richard” over the weekend. The film is the autobiography of Richard Williams, father or tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams. The movie depicts the Williams family origins in South Central LA and builds to Venus Williams’ first professional match at fourteen years old. “King Richard” is an inspirational American dream story. I would recommend “King Richard” to anyone. It’s a wholesome and the entire family can enjoy it together.

Will Smith is going to be a (I am) legend before it’s all over. He is working towards being Denzel level and I think Will Smith isn’t really getting the credit he deserves. Will Smith has starred in some great movies. “The Pursuit of Happyness” is one of my favorite films. Smith was great in “Ali”. “Independence Day” was a sensation when it debuted in theaters. He has had box office success with “Bad Boys” and “MIB”. Will is fifty three years old. He hasn’t come near his Morgan Freeman years yet. In time he’ll be one of the greats.

“King Richard” isn’t my favorite Will Smith performance but he did a good job. Richard Williams is from Shreveport, LA and speaks with a southern drawl. Hollywood never does a good job with southern accents and this film was no exception. At times it felt like Smith was depicting Richard as a person with intellectual and physical disabilities. However, that’s not the case because Richard Williams is a sharp business man. His business sense was depicted in the film. Smith’s accent and gestures just weren’t very convincing.

Smith’s depiction of Richard was that of a nice, kind and doting dad. I’m sure that’s the case but he had to have been a stage dad. I’m not sure his daughters would have had their success without it. I think the film wanted to make Richard likeable so he was portrayed as strict and driven but never harsh or overbearing. I’m a person that think stage parents get a bad rap. They’re effective. The Jacksons, Mozart and numerous child stars and pro athletes are the result of stage parenting. I doubt that Richard Williams is as laid back as he was portrayed in this film.

Mrs. Williams was played by Aunjanue Ellis. She was great and I think she deserves an Oscar. Aunjanue Ellis can best be described as an actor you recognize but you don’t know their name. Throughout the film I was trying to figure out where I’ve seen her. It could be anywhere. She has a long career and many credits behind her. Here is her IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0254712/. The character of Mrs. Williams gave Richard Williams more depth. She helped the film delve into the family dynamics of the Williams family and Richard’s short comings.

John McEnroe was briefly depicted in the film. The actor who played him nailed it. He was instantly recognizable as the tennis pro.

I recommend “King Richard”. It’s an inspirational family and exciting sports movie. It was a clean film and anyone can watch it without offense. You don’t need to be a tennis fan to appreciate this movie. The performances were solid especially from Aunjanue Ellis. I think you’ll enjoy “King Richard” if you are looking for a current release to watch.

Fall Book Review: Precolonial Black Africa

I finished a book called Precolonial Black Africa by Cheikh Anta Diop over the weekend. I was grateful to find this book from an online bookseller after not finding information at libraries and mainstream bookstores on the subject of precolonial Africa for years. I would recommend this book if you are interested in African history before European colonization.

Precolonial Black Africa gives readers a good over view on the topic. It covers different cultures in Black Africa and different facets of society. The book discusses religion, education, government, family structure, art, the economy, etc. The author did a good job of sharing information of a vast subject to readers that may not know much about African history.

The book is a little dry and I will attribute it to being translated into English. I didn’t have much background in precolonial African history so I dove into unfamiliar territory which is also a factor. There were parts of the book that I needed to push myself through despite the book only being two hundred and forty pages.

Nonetheless, I would recommend the book if you want to learn about African culture before European colonization. It gives you a good overview and jumping off point for further study. Precolonial Africa is a book that I will save for my personal library for reference.

Here are the few things that stood out for me:

Islam changed African culture before Europe did. Precolonial African leaders were political and religious leaders. Once Africans converted to Islam their traditional leaders lost influence and culture was lost.

Pre colonial African culture had a different relationship to land ownership than Western society has. They didn’t believe anyone could own land or hold a deed for it.

There were more checks and balances in African societies. There was a caste system but lower castes were empowered by social mores.

There was slavery in Africa but many slaves had agency and could move about society. American slaves were treated in similar fashion to the way European peasants and serfs were treated.

Family lineage was traced through mothers.

If you’re interested in learning about Africa before European influence Precolonial Black Africa is worth your time even though the language is a bit dry.