FYI: To those who may not have already heard, the July Edition of Italian Vogue will feature all Black models. The issue became available in Europe on Thursday, and will be available in the US shortly thereafter. The image above is the multi-page fold out cover featuring from left Liya Kebede (of Ethiopian descent), Sessilee Lopez, Jourdan Dunn, and Naomi Campbell. Plus sized model Toccara Jones from America's Next Top Model fame also graces the pages of this edition.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Saturday, June 28, 2008
Afro-Latinos
We were fingerprinted today for our FBI and state criminal clearances. We had to be fingerprinted a second time for our gold seal letter of adoption. That makes 3 fingerprinting sessions total. Talk about redundant. At any rate that puts us one step closer.
Since I have no new updates today, I thought I'd post an interesting article from "Newsweek". It's not about Ethiopia, but it gives some insight into the lives of other blacks within the African diaspora, specifically Afro-Latinos. Take a look if you're interested.
Rise Of The Latin Africans
A new black-power movement in Central and South America.
Joe Contreras
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 11:09 AM ET May 31, 2008
Hugo Chávez is known as a revolutionary in many contexts, especially his
defiance of the United States. In recent years, however, he's also broken
ground on a far less well-exposed subject: the question of race in Latin
America. The saga began two years ago, when, during a tour of Gambia, Chávez
surprised observers by declaring that "I've always said that if Spain is our
mother, Africa, mother Africa, is much more so." Since then, the Venezuelan
leader has often revisited the theme at home, even drawing attention to his
own African roots. It may not sound shocking. But such language would have
been inconceivable from a major Latin American leader just a short time ago.
That's now changing, due to a black-consciousness movement stirring in
Central and South America. Emboldened by the success of their indigenous
countrymen in pressing for resolution of long-ignored grievances,
Afro-descendientes (people of African descent), as they are known, are now
lobbying for recognition of their own communities' land rights and for
increased spending to improve living conditions in urban slums and rural
villages. Local activists have begun urging Latin blacks to take pride in
their culture, and with the help of the Internet, leaders are reaching
across borders to share tactics and compare notes with their brethren in the
Caribbean, the United States and Africa. This "black-power movement has gone
way beyond anything that has happened in the past," says Ann
Farnsworth-Alvear, director of Latin American and Latino Studies at the
University of Pennsylvania. "People are making critiques of racism in their
own societies, and there's been a real shift in black consciousness and
involvement. "
Black power isn't entirely new to the region; for some time now the
descendants of African slaves have wielded political clout in a few corners
of the hemisphere. That's especially the case in the English-speaking
Caribbean, where black heads of state are the rule. And in Brazil, where
nearly half the country's 192 million people have African ancestry, Joaquim
Barbosa, arguably the most influential member of the Supreme Court, is
black; so is recording artist Gilberto Gil, who served as Culture minister
under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for five years. Moreover, Lula's
predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, once announced that he himself had
"one foot in the kitchen"—a colorful way of admitting intermarriage among
his ancestors (albeit one that earned him criticism at the time).
In the rest of Latin America, blacks remain a small (they're thought to
number about 20 million, though activists claim the figure is much higher)
and marginalized minority. Demographics highlight their second-class status.
For example, Ecuador's blacks, who make up 5 percent of the population,
suffer a 14.5 percent unemployment rate, higher than that of the country's
nonblack majority and twice that of indigenous groups. In neighboring
Colombia, which is home to 10.5 million Afro-descendientes— giving it the
third largest black population in the hemisphere, after Brazil and the
United States—only one in five blacks has access to electricity and running
water (compared with 60 percent of the rest of the population), and the
black infant mortality rate is more than three times the white level.
Now, however, black communities are organizing and pressing for change. In
Honduras, for example, locals of African descent, who are known as
Garifunas, have staged protests in Tegucigalpa, the capital, against a
proposed constitutional amendment that would permit foreigners to purchase
property along the Atlantic coast, a region the Garifunas have called home
since 1797. And in Ecuador, more than a hundred black housewives and working
women joined forces in 2006 to seek more government assistance for housing
to combat racial discrimination in the rental market.
The epicenter of the new black activism, meanwhile, is Colombia. That's due
as much to circumstance as design: more than a third of the 3.2 million
Colombians uprooted by the country's long-running civil war are of African
ancestry, as are many of the ragged street vendors and beggars who approach
motorists at busy Bogotá intersections. Foreign and local NGOs are now
working hard to publicize their plight. Though a landmark 1993 law enshrined
the right of Afro-Colombians to obtain formal title to their ancestral
lands, including 5 million hectares along the Pacific coast—a unique
experiment in ethnic self-government— implementation has lagged, as
unscrupulous agribusinesses and paramilitary warlords have seized communal
property with near impunity. But recently, as part of its ongoing effort to
win U.S. approval for a free-trade agreement, the government of President
Alvaro Uribe has begun to expel these companies and restore 8,000 hectares
of stolen land to Afro-Colombian community councils.
Throughout the region, individual blacks have also begun blazing new trails.
Graciela Dixon became the first black woman to head Panama's Supreme Court
in 2005, and Luis Alberto Moore, a cop in Colombia, has reached the rank of
general—a first for an Afro-descendiente. "I hope I will serve as an example
for other black people in Colombia who will say, 'If General Moore did [it],
then so can I'," says the 48-year-old Bogotá native.
But many other Latin blacks remain reluctant to openly acknowledge their
background, which makes it hard for their communities to increase their
influence. In 2005, for example, when Colombians were asked for the first
time to identify their ethnic background in a census, less than half the
country's blacks described themselves as such. Doris de la Hoz, a senior
Afro-Colombian official in the Ministry of Culture, says that even this
percentage represented progress, since more than 4 million people did
acknowledge their heritage. But "there is still a strong separation of
people by groups," she says, "and many black families try to convince their
lighter-skinned children that they are white."
Yet such attitudes also seem to be shifting, albeit gradually. Evelyne
Laurent-Perrault, 48, is the daughter of Haitian immigrants and grew up in
middle-class Caracas, where she was usually the only black in her classroom
and, later on, her office. Over the years she's endured her fair share of
cruel jokes. Starting in her 20s, however, Laurent-Perrault, a biologist by
training, began to develop a passionate interest in her culture and its
links to Africa. She is now working on a Ph.D. at New York University
analyzing the topic in the context of Venezuela. "There is [now] more pride
in being black," she says. "People are mobilizing, and organizations have
arisen in almost all of Latin America to expose inequality and demand that
this must end."
Such organizations are drawing inspiration and financing from foreign,
largely U.S., sources. In February, African-American journalist Lori
Robinson launched a new Web site called vidaafrolatina. com that spotlights
news, cultural events and commentary by and about Afro-Latinos. Leading
members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus, like Rep. Gregory Meeks,
have taken a special interest in Afro-Colombians and dispatched staff to
advise black Colombian legislators. USAID has funded a variety of social and
economic development projects in predominantly black areas of western
Colombia, and has provided money and technical assistance to an association
of black mayors and groups working on behalf of internal refugees. The
groundbreaking presidential bid of a certain young U.S. senator hasn't gone
unnoticed in the region, either. "A triumph of Barack Obama would be
extraordinary, " gushes Ernesto Estupiñan, mayor of the predominantly black
Ecuadoran city of Esmeraldas. "It would be a huge encouragement for all of
us in terms of minority participation in politics." Indeed, if Obama does
reach the White House, one of his familiar slogans could soon take root in
the hearts and minds of his fellow Africano-Americanos south of the border:
"¡Si se puede!"("Yes we can!")
URL: http://www.newsweek .com/id/139401
A new black-power movement in Central and South America.
Joe Contreras
NEWSWEEK
Updated: 11:09 AM ET May 31, 2008
Hugo Chávez is known as a revolutionary in many contexts, especially his
defiance of the United States. In recent years, however, he's also broken
ground on a far less well-exposed subject: the question of race in Latin
America. The saga began two years ago, when, during a tour of Gambia, Chávez
surprised observers by declaring that "I've always said that if Spain is our
mother, Africa, mother Africa, is much more so." Since then, the Venezuelan
leader has often revisited the theme at home, even drawing attention to his
own African roots. It may not sound shocking. But such language would have
been inconceivable from a major Latin American leader just a short time ago.
That's now changing, due to a black-consciousness movement stirring in
Central and South America. Emboldened by the success of their indigenous
countrymen in pressing for resolution of long-ignored grievances,
Afro-descendientes (people of African descent), as they are known, are now
lobbying for recognition of their own communities' land rights and for
increased spending to improve living conditions in urban slums and rural
villages. Local activists have begun urging Latin blacks to take pride in
their culture, and with the help of the Internet, leaders are reaching
across borders to share tactics and compare notes with their brethren in the
Caribbean, the United States and Africa. This "black-power movement has gone
way beyond anything that has happened in the past," says Ann
Farnsworth-Alvear, director of Latin American and Latino Studies at the
University of Pennsylvania. "People are making critiques of racism in their
own societies, and there's been a real shift in black consciousness and
involvement. "
Black power isn't entirely new to the region; for some time now the
descendants of African slaves have wielded political clout in a few corners
of the hemisphere. That's especially the case in the English-speaking
Caribbean, where black heads of state are the rule. And in Brazil, where
nearly half the country's 192 million people have African ancestry, Joaquim
Barbosa, arguably the most influential member of the Supreme Court, is
black; so is recording artist Gilberto Gil, who served as Culture minister
under President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva for five years. Moreover, Lula's
predecessor, Fernando Henrique Cardoso, once announced that he himself had
"one foot in the kitchen"—a colorful way of admitting intermarriage among
his ancestors (albeit one that earned him criticism at the time).
In the rest of Latin America, blacks remain a small (they're thought to
number about 20 million, though activists claim the figure is much higher)
and marginalized minority. Demographics highlight their second-class status.
For example, Ecuador's blacks, who make up 5 percent of the population,
suffer a 14.5 percent unemployment rate, higher than that of the country's
nonblack majority and twice that of indigenous groups. In neighboring
Colombia, which is home to 10.5 million Afro-descendientes— giving it the
third largest black population in the hemisphere, after Brazil and the
United States—only one in five blacks has access to electricity and running
water (compared with 60 percent of the rest of the population), and the
black infant mortality rate is more than three times the white level.
Now, however, black communities are organizing and pressing for change. In
Honduras, for example, locals of African descent, who are known as
Garifunas, have staged protests in Tegucigalpa, the capital, against a
proposed constitutional amendment that would permit foreigners to purchase
property along the Atlantic coast, a region the Garifunas have called home
since 1797. And in Ecuador, more than a hundred black housewives and working
women joined forces in 2006 to seek more government assistance for housing
to combat racial discrimination in the rental market.
The epicenter of the new black activism, meanwhile, is Colombia. That's due
as much to circumstance as design: more than a third of the 3.2 million
Colombians uprooted by the country's long-running civil war are of African
ancestry, as are many of the ragged street vendors and beggars who approach
motorists at busy Bogotá intersections. Foreign and local NGOs are now
working hard to publicize their plight. Though a landmark 1993 law enshrined
the right of Afro-Colombians to obtain formal title to their ancestral
lands, including 5 million hectares along the Pacific coast—a unique
experiment in ethnic self-government— implementation has lagged, as
unscrupulous agribusinesses and paramilitary warlords have seized communal
property with near impunity. But recently, as part of its ongoing effort to
win U.S. approval for a free-trade agreement, the government of President
Alvaro Uribe has begun to expel these companies and restore 8,000 hectares
of stolen land to Afro-Colombian community councils.
Throughout the region, individual blacks have also begun blazing new trails.
Graciela Dixon became the first black woman to head Panama's Supreme Court
in 2005, and Luis Alberto Moore, a cop in Colombia, has reached the rank of
general—a first for an Afro-descendiente. "I hope I will serve as an example
for other black people in Colombia who will say, 'If General Moore did [it],
then so can I'," says the 48-year-old Bogotá native.
But many other Latin blacks remain reluctant to openly acknowledge their
background, which makes it hard for their communities to increase their
influence. In 2005, for example, when Colombians were asked for the first
time to identify their ethnic background in a census, less than half the
country's blacks described themselves as such. Doris de la Hoz, a senior
Afro-Colombian official in the Ministry of Culture, says that even this
percentage represented progress, since more than 4 million people did
acknowledge their heritage. But "there is still a strong separation of
people by groups," she says, "and many black families try to convince their
lighter-skinned children that they are white."
Yet such attitudes also seem to be shifting, albeit gradually. Evelyne
Laurent-Perrault, 48, is the daughter of Haitian immigrants and grew up in
middle-class Caracas, where she was usually the only black in her classroom
and, later on, her office. Over the years she's endured her fair share of
cruel jokes. Starting in her 20s, however, Laurent-Perrault, a biologist by
training, began to develop a passionate interest in her culture and its
links to Africa. She is now working on a Ph.D. at New York University
analyzing the topic in the context of Venezuela. "There is [now] more pride
in being black," she says. "People are mobilizing, and organizations have
arisen in almost all of Latin America to expose inequality and demand that
this must end."
Such organizations are drawing inspiration and financing from foreign,
largely U.S., sources. In February, African-American journalist Lori
Robinson launched a new Web site called vidaafrolatina. com that spotlights
news, cultural events and commentary by and about Afro-Latinos. Leading
members of the U.S. Congressional Black Caucus, like Rep. Gregory Meeks,
have taken a special interest in Afro-Colombians and dispatched staff to
advise black Colombian legislators. USAID has funded a variety of social and
economic development projects in predominantly black areas of western
Colombia, and has provided money and technical assistance to an association
of black mayors and groups working on behalf of internal refugees. The
groundbreaking presidential bid of a certain young U.S. senator hasn't gone
unnoticed in the region, either. "A triumph of Barack Obama would be
extraordinary, " gushes Ernesto Estupiñan, mayor of the predominantly black
Ecuadoran city of Esmeraldas. "It would be a huge encouragement for all of
us in terms of minority participation in politics." Indeed, if Obama does
reach the White House, one of his familiar slogans could soon take root in
the hearts and minds of his fellow Africano-Americanos south of the border:
"¡Si se puede!"("Yes we can!")
URL: http://www.newsweek .com/id/139401
Friday, June 27, 2008
Interesting TV
FYI: On July 23, and July 24 , CNN will premiere a series entitiled, "Black in America with Soledad O'Brien". I encourage each of you to watch this series with your family. It may give some insight to challenges adoptive children of color may face in America. The first episode in the series focuses on Women and Familes ,and the next episode will be dedicated entirely to the plight of the Black Man in America.
For more information: http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2008/black.in.america/
Adoption Update
Well, we accomplished alot today on the adoption front. I mailed 3 packages, 1 to Gladney (our adoption agency); this packet contained the rest of the documents we will need for Gladney approval. We are still waiting on 2 recommendation letters and our final homestudy report, but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. I sent a package to Kate Sproat (the wonderful woman who is compiling our foreign dossier). For fam and friends who know nothing about this process, a dossier is a thick packet of documents that will be given to the Ethiopian government to facilitate our adoption. In an effort to prevent redundancy, I decided to compile our dossier as I collected the rest of our documents. It was a great idea, until I realized I'd have to update things that expire! The first thing that will expire are our medical reports in September. Gotta make appointments to update these in about 1 month. (Geesh). Well I guess it's better than starting from scratch.
Our 3rd package went to Paul, our social worker, so he can complete our homestudy. Tomorrow, we are off to Baltimore to have our fingerprints done for the FBI and criminal clearances needed for our homestudy. Hopefully we will have our homestudy completed before the deadline for expiration of our I600A application. It would not be fun to pay another fee to resubmit the I600A. I guess we will see how it works out. Fortunately, we finished our fingerprints for the I600A back in November, and they should be good for 15 months.
Stay Tuned
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Cancun
I know I love to view pictures when I visit blogs, so here are a few we took
on our last vacation to Cancun about 2 weeks ago. I can't figure out how to layout multiple pictures, but I'll get it soon enough. Hopefully my next layout will look better. If anyone knows how to do this, please shoot me an email.
These photos were taken at Chichen Itza, a must-see Mayan Ruin in the Yucatan. It is one of the "new wonders of the world". It truly is spectacular. If you love history, you will love Chichen Itza. I would have loved it even more if it hadn't rained like cats and dogs while we were there. There were also flying ants everywhere, so don't mind if we look a little rough. Can you believe they let folks climb this thing about 5 years ago? It was quite nerve racking, but I'm always down for a good adventure. I felt like I was going to fall going up, and we had to sit down to descend the pyramid. It was very steep. Unfortunately, visitors aren't allowed to climb anymore.
Why Adopt? Why Ethiopia?
For the most part, people I've run into are receptive to the concept of adoption. But there are the rare few who ask; Why Adopt? Why Ethiopia? Well my answer is a simple one....Why Not? But I suppose that answer isn't very thought provoking, so I should give a more meaningful one.
I had the opportunity to live in Ethiopia for an entire summer about 11 years ago, and I must say, it was one of my best life experiences to date. I had the rare chance to travel with one of my Ethiopian professors, and 2 other classmates. We assisted him in conducting Malaria research, and in my free time I fully immersed in the culture. I learned so much about the people, food, history, and culture. But best of all, I really grew fond of the Ethiopian people. They were so very welcoming to me, and treated me like one of their own. I felt I had "gone home", as it was my first trip to the African Continent.
I lived in the homes near Bole (Airport) Road, I frequented the "Juice Bar" and Mercado for shopping. I went to the market to get fresh fruit, and vegtables every couple days. I became a temporary vegetarian because I just couldn't swallow eating all the "fresh meat". I could not bear the slaughter, so I gave it up all together. I guess I'm a processed meat kind of girl. I can only eat it, if I don't see it alive. Needless to say, I lost about 30 pounds (Whoo Hooo!! Sadly, it all came back). I mastered travel on the "blue mini-bus", and I managed to attend a wedding, graduation party, coffee ceremonies, and several get-togethers with friends I made while there. But all the while, I couldn't ignore the stark contrast between rich and poor. Given that I am a bit of a social activist, I knew that I would be back in some capacity in the future.
So when the opportunity presented for International Adoption, we decided to go for it. I love kids, and I love international travel, so who could resist the opportunity. There are so many children who truly need families, why should we not give back when we have been so blessed? This decision was a no brainer for us as we had always planned to adopt. Besides, I've never been one to believe that you must birth a child in order to mother/father him/her. Or that you have to have a blood tie to be family.
So there you have it.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Lakers Lost
I am a true Laker fan. Bred on the Greatest Laker team of the 80's (Magic, Kareem, Worthy, Scott). Growing up in LA you just couldn't help but be a Laker fan. So needless to say, I am sad today. The Lakers fell to the Boston Celtics in poor form last night; 131-92 (ouch!) I guess it was truly a Boston Massacre. But don't get all cocky out there you Boston fans. Need I remind you that the playoff MVP, Paul Pierce, hails from Inglewood, California; just steps away from the Forum (old Laker arena). You know he is a Laker at heart. Although I really hoped that we would have won, I guess I'd have to say I'm happy to see Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Doc Rivers, and Rajon Rondo win a championship. I guess they aren't so bad, even if they are Celtics.
I can't end this without acknowledging Tim Russert. Just as I love basketball, I love, love, love politics; and I must say Tim Russert was the best. I just don't know how "Meet the Press" will be the same without him. My prayers go out to his family on this day.
Baby Boy
I just wanted to introduce the blog world to my one and only son, Brendon. I call him Baby Boy. He truly is the greatest son anyone could ask for. I am so proud of him, and grateful to God for the kindness of his spirit! He is so excited about our adoption because he absolutely loves babies. Big babies, small babies, all babies. I think he keeps me on point with finishing my paperwork. If I'm slacking, I know Brendon will reel me back in. He truly is the sweetest child ever, and I know he'll make a great big brother.
Monday, June 16, 2008
My First Blog
Well, today I decided to let down my shield, and begin journaling our adventures on the road to adoption. I follow so many blogs of families adopting from Ethiopia, and have learned so much from these families about the process. I started to feel guilty about not adding to the mix. So, I've decided to change my status from blog lurker, to blogger. (Applause!!) It's a scary process at first, but I think I'm already getting used to it. Now, if I could just figure out how to make this page"fancy" I'll truly be on a roll.
We currently have a family of 3, myself, my husband Big B, and my son Little B. Oh, I can't leave out our dog Mady, and our assortment of lizards, frogs, and fish. My son is a true animal lover. We plan to add to our family via adoption of a little girl from Ethiopia. I'll get into reasons in later post. We actually started this process in 2007, but due to my severe case of procrastination, we are slowly inching our way to completing our paperwork. (When I first saw the mounds and mounds of paper, I immediately became immobilized. I thought to myself, dude, I think adoption paperwork is more painful than my last labor experience; and that was no fun. ) Ya gotta admire those who have already been there and done that!
Well now I am super motivated, and ready to get this process on the road. I'm hoping this blog will keep me honest in our paper pursuit. The good news is that we had our homestudy visit about 2 weeks ago, and hopefully we should be finished with that as soon as I get the remaining paperwork in. I'm also working on getting all of our documents into our agency, Gladney, so that we can become Gladney approved. I'm also simultaneously collecting dossier documents as I hate repetition! Welcome to our journey.
We currently have a family of 3, myself, my husband Big B, and my son Little B. Oh, I can't leave out our dog Mady, and our assortment of lizards, frogs, and fish. My son is a true animal lover. We plan to add to our family via adoption of a little girl from Ethiopia. I'll get into reasons in later post. We actually started this process in 2007, but due to my severe case of procrastination, we are slowly inching our way to completing our paperwork. (When I first saw the mounds and mounds of paper, I immediately became immobilized. I thought to myself, dude, I think adoption paperwork is more painful than my last labor experience; and that was no fun. ) Ya gotta admire those who have already been there and done that!
Well now I am super motivated, and ready to get this process on the road. I'm hoping this blog will keep me honest in our paper pursuit. The good news is that we had our homestudy visit about 2 weeks ago, and hopefully we should be finished with that as soon as I get the remaining paperwork in. I'm also working on getting all of our documents into our agency, Gladney, so that we can become Gladney approved. I'm also simultaneously collecting dossier documents as I hate repetition! Welcome to our journey.
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