Category: Black in the World
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A New Black Hair Narrative: Black Hair is Not Problematic
Hello Meltingpot Community, Once upon a time, I wrote a book called Hair Story: Untangling the Roots of Black Hair in America. I wrote Hair Story with my friend Ayana Byrd, way back in the late 1990s. The book covers the history, culture, politics and business of Black hair and was released in 2001. In…
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Mamp Podcast Ep#57: Is Christmas for White People w/ Marc Lamont Hill
On episode 57 of the podcast, we’re replaying our Christmas show from 2019 because it’s still very relevant today. Maybe even more so. On that episode, I set out to answer the question, “Is Christmas for white people?” Now, I’m not white and I’ve been celebrating Christmas with my very Black family for more than…
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MAMP Ep # 47: Author Lauren Francis-Sharma Talks Book of the Little Axe
On episode 47 of the podcast I sit down with Lauren Francis-Sharma, the author of the My American Meltingpot Summer Book Club selection, Book of the Little Axe. In addition to Book of the Little Axe, Lauren is the author of the novel, Til the Well Runs Dry, which was awarded the Honor Fiction Prize…
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To Be Black in Spain: A Redux
Hello Meltingpot Community, *sigh* Summertime always makes me think of Spain. Ever since I met el esposo, I’ve associated summer with being in Spain. Our plan as a married couple was to live in the United States, but spend our summers in Spain. We managed to do that until we started having children and our…
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MAMP Summer Book Club Read: Book of the Little Axe
Hello Meltingpot Community, It’s time for the announcement of our summer My American Meltingpot Book Selection! The MAMP Book Club If you recall, the My American Meltingpot Book club was launched last year and we read books that meet the following criteria: “Books are written by authors of diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds who tell…
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Extra! Extra! Use the Capital B When Referring to Black People!
Hello Meltingpot Community, I feel like celebrating! More than five years ago, I wrote a post here on the blog, that then led to an opinion piece in The New York Times, advocating for journalists and publishers to capitalize the B in Black when referring to Black people. On Friday – yes Juneteenth Day –…
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MAMP Podcast Ep#37: Girl, Woman, Other Reviewed
Hello Meltingpot Community, Episode 37 of the podcast is just a Meltingpot Minute. It’s a short one, but it’s long enough for me to share my review of the 2019 Booker Prize winning novel, Girl, Woman, Other by Bernadine Evaristo. The book is a delightful invitation into the lives of a diverse group of Black…
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Ida B. Wells (Finally) Wins a Pulitzer Prize!
Hello Meltingpot Community, On Monday the Pulitzer Prizes – the Academy Awards of journalism – were announced and one particular award warmed my defiant Black journalist’s heart. Eighty-nine years after her death, Ida B. Wells received a special citation from the Pulitzer committee for her pioneering work in investigative reporting. More specifically, she was given…
