Rosa Parks... Still sparking change

50 years after the tired seamstress' refusal to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus to a white man, Rosa Parks is still sparking change. If Michigan U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. has his way, Parks will become the first woman to lie in state in the U.S. Capitol.

Conyers authored legislation to pay tribute to Parks with a six-hour vigil inside the Capitol on Sunday from 6p.m. to midnight. A vote on this legislation would probably come after the regular session tonight or tomorrow. This special memorial service would be a part of a four day, three city memorial to include stops in Montgomery, Washington and finally Detroit. Mrs. Parks worked in Conyer's Detroit office for several years after relocating to Detroit from Montgomery.


The cities of Detroit and Montgomery, Ala., are reserving the first seats of their buses as a tribute to Parks' legacy. Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick placed a black ribbon Thursday morning on the first set of passenger seats om one of nearly 200 buses where seats will be reserved until her funeral next week.

On Wednesday, Aaron McGruder announced that Parks, who was the subject of a few jokes in an upcoming episode of "The Boondocks,"(set to air on the Adult Swim, November 6) which is based on McGruder's controversial comic strip will be taken out. When the movie Barbershop first came out there were several public and political figures who were outraged about one of the movie's jokes regarding Rosa's role in the civil rights movement.

Just Another Weekend...

Well Desperate Housewives has concluded which means for me at least another weekend has ended. With the stress from work mounting as we approach my biggest event of the year, I crave the weekends. No matter how much work is needed to be done, for my own sanity I leave it at the office on Thursday evenings and try not to think about it again until Monday morning.

This weekend was quite a mix of relaxation and activity. As usual with Howard's Homecoming, the city is flooded with former Alums, partyseekers, and celebs hosting overpriced parties at only the hottest spots around the District. This weekend Darryl Wilson brought SWV to perform for the kids, singing all of their old favorites and claiming that they are back. Followed by a house party the next day, I was left wondering out of all these people in town, how many really have ties to Howard?

My boy from Harlem, Dizyaboy, came down this weekend as well. Most of our weekend we spent downloading and listening to music while having revealing conversations. He asked quite a few questions that made me think. And was probably one of the chillest house guests that I have ever had. None of that demanding for entertainment with constant questions of 'what are we doing next?' He actually sent me out on Friday night alone while he chilled and slept.

Today was also a pretty chill day. Slept in a little and Dizyaboy left in mid afternoon. (Did I mention how he cleaned up the guest room, folded blankets and placed the sheets and towels by the washer and dryer... Definitely my type of guest)I had an early dinner date with Jordan. Now I met Jordan some time ago when he first moved to the city... however we remet 3 weeks ago at a house party and exchanged numbers. Definitely an attractive brother (tall, lite, and nice lips) and employed.

Now Dancerthighs is still around but not front and attention as he once was. While over the past weeks have shown me we have a few different priorities and were not in the same place, he is still someone of serious interest to me.

Anyway now that Desperate Hos is off... its time to get it together for the next week...

In the background: The Pussy Cat Dolls 'Stickwitu'

Noah's Arc (my review)

I first saw Noah's Arc last fall when the HRC had a screening of the show and reception with the cast at their new headquarters. Finally after several months of promoting the show it has finally aired on the Logo network, the gay network that I often forget exists. What some consider groundbreaking, I consider a perpetuation of the negative stereotypes of black gay men. To me the show exhibits two types of GBMs... the queen and the overly masculine DL brotha. The uberflamboyant characters and mediocre acting take away from what could actually be a pretty good storyline.

I was able to catch some of tonight's premiere episode, which was somewhat different from the episode I saw at HRC and at the Reel Affirmations film festival last fall. While the storyline remained the same, most of the scenes were reshot and the sex scenes were quite toned down. For those who haven't seen or heard of the show it is about the lives of four black gay men in Los Angeles and their romantic and professional relationships.



I believe the show has the opportunity and responsibility to be a strong and positive voice for African American gay men. And with a possible viewership of 18 million. It will be interesting to see how the show develops over time, I recommend you at least checking it out for yourself. Noah's Arc airs Wednesdays at 10pm E.D.T. on Logo.

999,999 Man March

So I woke up Saturday morning (ok late morning) ready to get dressed and head down to the National Mall to take part in the Million More March. So I decided to jump online and check out the agenda to see what time the lined up speakers went on. Now I had been checking for this agenda for the past week... to no avail.

It amazes me that this national movement's web site has little or no information. It doesn't amaze me that a black national movement's web site has little or no information. One day we will stop being so half ass. Strike 1.

So I turn to the coverage on CSpan, to see none other than the hatemonger Willie Wilson giving a speech on unity. Now is this the same man who was adamant against a speaker representing homosexual people of color. Speaking on unity, how ironic. Strike 2.

As I ate my breakfast, I continued watching the coverage. Nonsense topics from nonsense speakers. The two that stood out the most were... one Muslim woman who was advocating marriage, (I can agree with this one... let me turn it up) her reasoning for this was 1. women shouldn't have to force men to be a part of their child's life emotionally or financially (ok i can agree with that) 2. women should stay at home to nurture and take care of their families (stay at home? she should have stopped while she was ahead)

Another speaker spoke on how if the Government would give them 14% of the health care dollars... they would be able to medically take care people of color better than the government is currently doing. Of course no evidence to support this claim, just endless rhetoric. Strike 3.

Most people that know me know I have very little patience. And definitely patience for bullshit. So after all of that I decided my time would be better spent in bed sleep, rather than trekking down to the Mall to listen to this nonsense. Only to come to find out a few hours later that after being invited, Keith Boykin, was disinvited Saturday morning by Willie Wilson who would later stand before the crowd and preach unity.

A late Saturday morning in bed... Saturday afternoon shopping with my bestfriend. I must say it turned out pretty relaxing.

Farewell.... Dr. Viola Coleman

Many of you will not know of Dr. Coleman but for those that do will know what a remarkable woman she truly was.

Every since I was a few months old, twice a year, my mother and me or my grandmother and me would make our trek to 500 S Carver Street to see Dr. Viola Mary Johnson Coleman. Dr. Coleman had been our family physician since my mother was in grade school herself. No matter how many patients she had she never forget one detail about the Fitzgerald-Morris', she had become more than just a doctor but a family member.

But it wasn't until Dr. Viola Coleman, a brilliant and determined physician still practicing in her eighties, who led the fight to desegregate the schools and the small oil town of 50,000. Midland, the former home of George and Laura Bush, was much like the rest of America, segregation in Midland created a social atmosphere where black doctors and lawyers and business owners became the notables of the local black community. When Dr. Coleman and other black leaders began organizing sit-ins at a few of Midland's favorite lunch spots, the town's white business community was so eager to avert the same spectacle that has been occurring across the south that most of the restaurant owners quietly agreed to open their doors to blacks.

Dr. Coleman's activism didn't stop there. In 1970, she successfully worked with the Department of Justice in desegregating Midland's schools, the same schools my family and the Bushes attended. In the 80's, the city acknowledged her by naming a new high school after her. Her recent work included working to end the paramount Hispanic drop out issue.

While growing up, Dr. Coleman was just my doctor and a family friend. Now that I know more about this amazing woman, I feel honored to have been her patient.

"You survive and go on to do those things that you have the ability to do and the willingness to pay the price for," Coleman said in a 1985

Farewell.... August Wilson

Another legend has passed. The Pulitzer Prize playwright died of liver cancer on Sunday in Seattle. Wilson was diagnosed with cancer in June by his doctors in Seattle. The disease proved too advanced for treatment, according to his hometown paper, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, which broke the story of his illness. Wilson's work primarily focused on the African-American experience in the 20th century. His 10 play epic dealing with each decade of the 20th century, was mostly set in his hometown of Pittsburgh. His most famous plays are Fences and the Piano Lesson which both won Pulitzer Prizes; Ma Rainey's Black Bottom and Joe Turner's Come and Gone.



In 2002, while working at the Kennedy Center, I had the pleasure of meeting August Wilson at the premiere of his King Hedley II starring Brian Stokes Mitchell. From the brief conversation we had the one thing I remembered him saying was, "who would have thought all of this for a high school drop out. Don't let anything stand in your way."

In a true testament to his greatness Broadway's Virginia Theater will be renamed the August Wilson Theater later this month.

"I've lived a blessed life. I'm ready," Wilson spoke of his cancer in the Post-Gazette in August.

Metro Opens Doors

Ok so it was 8:50am and I was just arriving at the Brookland Metro station (for those not from DC... the metro is the subway). At a far distance I saw the former or current boyfriend of a friend , lets call him Tee (one of those relationships when you are never quite sure). Nice young guy, but if you only knew the stories I knew. I hadn't seen him since a early August when were both at a house party, so we played the obligatory lets catch up. Told me all the new things going on in his life... dropped a few hints that him and my friend were back together much not to my surprise. My stop came first so as I said my enjoy your days see you around soon... I departed the train and made my way to my office.

It was on my half a block walk that I started to thinking. Tee always complains about the nonsense that him and his partner are going through. But yet they keep going back to each other. And if I could tell you some of the crazy ass stories I have heard... you would only wonder. My bestfriend told me that I am far too impatient and usually end a relationship at the first sign of trouble. I always refute his statements with simply saying I have no time for bullshit.

So as I walked from the metro.... in between all the meetings... and as I walked back to the metro this evening... all I could wonder was... What is too impatient??