One Black Woman's Voice

Welcome to my blog!

What a cheesy opening. Oh well. I'm new at this blogging thing, so here are the ground rules (Yes, I have control issues):

1. I do not speak for all black people. Here's a newsflash: No one does. So, the next time some talking head reporter interviews Rev. Al Sharpton, Rev. Jessie Jackson, or someone else for the "black point of view," listen with a critical mind. We're not monolithic. But if I were going to nominate someone to speak for all black people, it would be a black woman, not a man. Probably Johnetta Cole or Julianne Malveaux, although I would give Cornel West and Michael Eric Dyson honorary Black Female status.

2. The views expressed on this blog do not reflect the views of my family, friends, employer(s) or dog. My husband doesn't even read blogs and uses the Internet only for retrieving e-mail and paying bills online. He shall be referred to as Black Man Not Blogging (BMNB).

3. If you can't engage in civil, reasoned discourse, move on. I'm tired of the Ann Coulter-esque types of dialogues going on in our society. It is possible to disagree and do so respectfully. I'm still trying to figure out where Ann Coulter even came from.

4. Check your stereotypes at the door. I'm not angry at the world, I don't have a baby daddy, I'm very well educated, I'm married, I came from a two-parent working class family, and although I'm not wealthy (wealthy people are those who don't have to work for a living), I'm not poor, either, and I vote and listen to NPR more than hip-hop stations (although I'm really digging reggaeton these days, especially on XM). What you see on BET videos does not represent all of black america.

So why am I blogging? Because, like everyone else, I see stuff on the news and in the media in general, and my response ranges from, "Oh no they didn't" (Jena 6), to "Ain't that some . . . " (nooses used to intimidate and insult African American workers). What I don't see as much is a diversity in the voices commenting on these happenings. For instance, would it kill George Stephanopoulos to add a sister to his Sunday morning punditfest on a regular basis instead of occasional appearances by Donna Brazile? I know . . . we need to get out own Sunday morning talkfest. That will be a constant issue on this blog -- black self-empowerment.

Well, consider this my own personal punditfest. If you're read this far, I'm feeding a need in you, too, for more diversity of views in our national discourse. I'm hoping that everyone of all races will feel welcome here and learn something from each other, but I also want to make this a special place for black women in particular to commune and comment on events in the media and life in general and to find understanding.

Please be patient with me and the blog. I'm really nervous about this blogging stuff. Most of the technology involved in doing this is beyond my understanding, but I'm hoping that I'll become more proficient with time.

Again, welcome. And if you're a black woman, welcome to our world.