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.
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'
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.
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.
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
Posted by C. Baptiste-Williams at 11:49 PM Labels: farewell, social commentaryAnother 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.
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??
It has been about a month since my last entry and what a month it has been....
First dealing with the aftermath of Katrina and Rita and the havoc it has taken on my family still leaves me speechless. In total I lost two family members to Katrina. Several others are still dealing with emotional and pyschological scars that will probably last a lifetime. My uncle, once a vibrant trial lawyer that could tell a story as well as any Southern Baptist preacher, barely utters a word. Seeing his grandchild ripped from his hands and claimed by the flood waters, has proven to be a silencer.
Material things take an entire new meaning, when you see nearly everything that your family owns washed away.
Secondly, travel... travel... and more travel. This month I have been to Atlanta, Phoenix and Denver. Once again I spent more time away this month then I did in my own house... however it was good to see friends and college classmates in Atlanta (more on this later). And the Phoenician spa in Phoenix was absolutely amazing. Imagine getting a massage as the sun sets next to a cascading pool and waterfall overlooking a set of mountain ranges.... damn I love my job.
Third my bestfriend goes to closing on his house tomorrow. Two years ago we talked about what needed to be done to accomplish this and to see him reach this goal is such a great feeling.
Fourth.... work... work and more work. Frustrations of dealing with people that have no appreciation or concept of what you do is beginning to take its toll. I should have stayed on contract instead of taking this position full time. If things continue to progress the way they are now... I will be looking for a corporate conference and event management job in the DC, NYC, ATL and Miami areas so keep your eyes open.
Well that is all the updates for now.... time for dinner.
In the Background: Access Hollywood
Never let an opportunity pass without telling those in your life that you love them.
Never let the sun go down on your anger.
Never take tomorrow for granted.
It has been 3 days since I have spoken to any of my family members there. It pains me to watch the continuous coverage on every news channel, yet I do in hopes to see an alive face or story of my kin. It had to be the 30th time I dialed 1-504... and it was the 30th time I would get a busy signal or a message from the operator telling me my efforts would be fruitless yet again. Last night something told me to try a text message this time. To my surprise it went through.... and even more to my surprise my friend Steven responded letting me know him and my other friend from New Orleans had made it safely to Baton Rouge. Exhale.
Another friend sent me this message from her blackberry today:
I am alive, but I have nothing but what is on my back. I have lost everything, it is all gone. Please call Mark [her husband] at the number in Shreveport and let him know that I am going to a shelter and will be in touch. Our New Orleans is no more. I have lost everything. Keep praying. - M
Three days letter and still no word from my family.
Today standing in the Rose Garden, President Bush said, "This recovery will take a long time. This recovery will take years."
"I'm confident that with time you'll get your life back in order, new communities will flourish, the great city of New Orleans will get back on its feet and America will be a stronger place for it," Bush said. "The country stands with you. We'll do all in our power to help you," he said.
I can only hope that he is right.
I have many ties to New Orleans. When my paternal family migrated from St. Kitts and St. Croix several decades ago, that is where they made home. And oooooh what a home it is. Imagine a parcel of land just west of New Orleans with an oak lined drive that ends on a cul de sac with just three homes. One uncle and two aunts of my now deceased father's total 6 siblings live on this amazing piece of land. The few visits during the childhood summers, was always a highlight and sure to be a topic of discussion in the What I Did Last Summer speech.
Now that I am an adult, the trips to New Orleans have taken a different meaning. Hanging in the French Quarter with my cousins and friends and my all too frequent business trips there have given me a new appreciation of the Crescent city.
The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina went from good news to bad. Immediately after the storm hit it seemed as New Orleans had been spared the level of disaster that was once expected. I had spoken to one of my cousins and a friends and all reassured me that they were ok. However waking to the Today Show this morning, I was alerted that several levies had broken and now the city often compared to a soup bowl was flooded with water.
I have unsuccessfully tried reaching any of my people in New Orleans all day while maintaining a close eye to the news reports to stay abreast of the situation.
Anti-Gay Church Protests at GI Funerals
Posted by C. Baptiste-Williams at 7:29 AM Labels: gay, social commentaryWhat a way to start my Sunday... so it is 7:20am. I am sitting at my desk drinking my orange juice, reading the online news before I head out for early service at my church Metropolitan Baptist. And the second headline I get is Anti-Gay Church Protests at GI Funerals.
Members of a Westboro Baptist in Kansas say God is punishing American soldiers for defending a country that harbors gays, and they brought their anti-gay message to the funerals Saturday of two Tennessee soldiers killed in Iraq. The Rev. Fred Phelps, founder of the church, which is not affiliated with a larger denomination, is made up mostly of Phelps' children, grandchildren and in-laws. The church members carried signs and shouted things such as "God hates fags" and "God hates you."
Are you serious? God hates? I grew up in the church and in my twenty-something years, I have never once heard the phrase, 'God hates..' in reference to anyone. God is love.
After reading about the actions members of this Westboro church have taken, it makes me wonder if this is a case of inbreeding or just plain stupidity. While I totally disagree with the war, I feel protesting a soldier's funeral should be considered treason, especially since they may have been there against their will. But then again you just got to love that damn 1st Amendment.
You just don't fuck with Oprah...
Posted by C. Baptiste-Williams at 2:55 PM Labels: entertainment, OprahChicago Defender I hope you are listening because I will only say this to you one time... YOU DONT FUCK WITH OPRAH!!!
Recently Roland Smith, executive editor of the Chicago Defender, wrote a column published in the Chicago Defender, a historically significant black daily newspaper, which questioned why Winfrey didn't attend John H. Johnson's Aug. 15 funeral in Chicago. Former President Bill Clinton, the Rev. Jesse Jackson and many notable black media personalities attended the service.
In retaliation of the article, Oprah contacted Mr. Smith and informed him that not only was she not in town when Mr. Johnson died or was funeralized but she had sent notes and flowers to Eunice Johnson, his wife and Linda Johnson Rice his daughter. But in the response article published Aug. 25th, she made a statement for me that ended the entire controversy. Oprah stated, "I didn't have a personal relationship" with Mr. Johnson, she also said that she had the utmost respect for him and the company he built into a $500 million powerhouse.
If Oprah was not a personal friend to Mr. Johnson making comment of her nonattendance to his funeral becomes a mute point.
Perhaps Mr. Smith should be reminded of the Texas cattleman case against Ms. Winfrey back in 1998. In that lawsuit, the cattlemen claimed the 1996 show on mad cow disease, which suggested the disease could spread to people, Winfrey exclaimed: "It has just stopped me from eating another burger!" caused the cattle market to plunge to 10-year lows and cost them $11 million. Well in 2002, Winfrey was found not liable for damages and left the cattle industry with yet another black eye during an already low period for trying to go after the Queen of Daytime.
But in case that is not enough, let me remind you Mr. Smith of the recent snub Oprah faced by Hermes. Before having dinner with Tina Turner, Oprah wanted to dash into Hermes to purchase a watch for her dinner companion. While there were still shoppers in the recently closed stored, Winfrey was denied access. Management of the Paris store were allegedly quoted as stating that they had recently had problems with 'northern Africans." Although Oprah has never herself claimed racism, Winfrey’s friend, Gayle King, who was there, told Entertainment Tonight, “Oprah describes it as ‘one of the most humiliating moments of her life.”’ Harpo says Winfrey plans to discuss the incident in the context of race relations on her show this fall.
So with that said Mr. Smith, while your little newspaper may reach millions... Oprah reaches billions every day via her shows, her website, or her magazines. So be sure to have all the facts straight before you piss off such a powerful woman.
I like to think of myself as a work in progress. Continuously evolving and growing. As any work in progress there are a few imperfections, I stress the word few. One of those few imperfections is my lack of patience.
This lack of patience leads to my biggest pet peeve, which is someone being inconsiderate of my time. I think that happens to be one of if not the rudest thing you can do to a person. I hate making plans with someone and for some reason they don't follow through. I totally understand that shit happens... but a responsible and considerate person should have the sense to call that person up and let them know they won't be able to follow through. And calling after a set time doesn't count. At least give me the opportunity to rearrange my afternoon to do something else.
From now on I will put a disclaimer on all my plans to let them know that if they don't follow through within 15 minutes I am moving on to something else.
So as I step off my soap box... I want you to step up there and let me know, "What is your biggest pet peeve?"
In the background: You Move Me - Cassandra Wilson
Kanye West Calls for End to Gay Bashing
Posted by C. Baptiste-Williams at 11:09 PM Labels: entertainment, gayJust wanted to share a "news story" that caught my eye today....
Kanye West Calls for End to Gay Bashing
AP - Kanye West says "gay" has become an antonym to hip-hop and that it needs to be stopped. During an interview for an MTV special, the 27-year-old rapper launched into a discussion about hip-hop and homosexuality while talking about "Hey Mama," a song on his upcoming album, "Late Registration."
West says that when he was young, people would call him a "mama's boy."
"And what happened was, it made me kind of homophobic, 'cause it's like I would go back and question myself," West says on the show, "All Eyes on Kanye West," set to air Thursday night (10:30 p.m. ET).
West says he changed his ways, though, when he learned one of his cousins was gay.
"It was kind of like a turning point when I was like, `Yo, this is my cousin. I love him and I've been discriminating against gays.'"
West says hip-hop was always about "speaking your mind and about breaking down barriers, but everyone in hip-hop discriminates against gay people." He adds that in slang, gay is "the opposite, the exact opposite word of hip-hop."
Kanye's message: "Not just hip-hop, but America just discriminates. And I wanna just, to come on TV and just tell my rappers, just tell my friends, `Yo, stop it.'"
West, whose debut disc "The College Dropout" won a Grammy for best rap album, will see his second record in stores on Aug. 30.
My personal opinion: I had the opportunity tonight to catch MTV VJay Sway's interview of Kanye West. The 30 minute interview covered interesting topics from his childhood growing up in a divorced home... to art school... to one question that caught him off guard.
Sway: Do you think siding with Jay [JayZ]... was disloyal and in a way of turning your back on Dame [Damon Dash] the person that discovered you?
Kanye: (after several minutes of silence and a dumbfounded look on his face) Yeah.... Yeah
Also in the interview, Kanye veryadamantlyy condemns the prevalence of homophobia in hip hop and encourages other rappers and his friends to stop the discrimination. He relates a story of how he became homophobic trying to distance himself from his 'momma's boy' image in high school, until he found out that his cousin and his friend he brought to Thanksgiving dinners was gay. Finally a celeb is not afraid to publicly take a stand.
It will be interesting to see what comes of this statement and this interview. Will othercelebritiess speak out? Will people distance themselves from his comments? Hopefully others will notdismisss these comments and take the ignorant view of Kanye's stance as a coming out of the closet. But for what it is an African American man realizing that bigotry and discrimination is pointless.
All Eyes on Kanye repeats several times this weekend on MTV . I definitely encourage you to check it out. And check out Kanye West - Late Registration (Def Jam) August 30th.
Being Gay and Having Religion Part 1
Posted by C. Baptiste-Williams at 7:36 AM Labels: Religion, social commentaryHowever after visiting Intellifreak's blog, I was exposed to this Yahoo news article, Atlanta Has Become Mecca for Black Gays. Well I use to live in Atlanta, so from the title I wasn't expecting to learn anything new. In the article, the very attractive David Malebranche, a physician who teaches at Emory University, said many black lesbians and gays settle in Atlanta because they "feel ostracized from the white gay community because of racism. People will migrate to a city where there is a lot of black people in general, and then within that you find your niche."
But again none of that was new news to me seeing I once lived there. What was surprising to me were the thoughts and comments by Bishop Eddie Long of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church. In my Atlanta days I attended Bishop's Long megachurch before it was quite mega... when it was still meeting in a closed shopping center before the new megafacility was even built. The entire time I attended his church I never once new or heard his objections to gays and gay marriage. I often recall and share a fond memory of a service one Sunday....
Me and two of my friends were sitting their praising and worshiping along with the rest of the masses, slightly tired from hanging out the night before. Service had been going on for at least 20 minutes, when she walked in. Heads were turning and the men were gawking... and the kids went to whispering. As she took her seat, 2 rows in front of us with who I came to find out later was her birth mother, I knew this was going to be one ole service. The person that had caught the attention of nearly every man in service was none of ther than the transgender legend of Jasmine Bonet. As we stood in prayer, we watched the eyes of the men around us... and how they examined and lusted after Jasmine right there in service. We could only say if they only knew.
Anyway I digress, what made me want to blog this morning was the fact that a few of my friends in Atlanta are still going to New Birth. Even after their pastor and church has made a stance against them. Which reminds me of Greater Mt. Calvery Church here in Washington. The pastor and copastor have preached against and bashed homosexuals on more than several occassions.
While I have grown up in church and understand that you must read the Bible and have a personal relationship with God... I have also learned that you can't believe 100% of anything that comes out of any man's mouth. But I have also learned that I shouldn't support those who do not support me. Can someone explain to me the rationale of staying in churches that preach out against you? Can someone explain to me the rationale of staying in churches that offer healing to your homosexual affliction? Are we that pressed for inclussion that we subject ourselves to unecessary treatment? Does the Bible say, "Judge not... unless you talking about homos"?
Well I know it has been quite some time since I have talked about the fellas from my trip to Puerto Rico and others in my life so here is an update. SoontobeSoutherner moved to Atlanta not long after our return from the beaches of Condado. While he has been getting adjusted to his new apartment in Buckhead, his new job, the night life and boys of Atlanta... we still talk almost every day. Our conversations have covered every subject imaginable. It is funny how I can talk to to someone online for months if not years... but it takes meeting face to face for those conversations to end up having substantial meaning to me. Meeting in a Puerto Rico has been one of the few highlights of the summer. I am looking forward to spending some time with him later this month in Atlanta. And now that he is down south I guess his name must change as well to ... KravingAtlanta.
Then there is Mr. WindyCity... I saw him a few weeks ago on a business trip to Chicago. A few telephone conversations, one dinner and a dance or two at the club. But nothing more was good seeing him and we have talked once since. It is always good to have friends around the country.
SoontobeEx... is official 10 times over. We haven't spoken since the last day he was in Puerto Rico. He sent a few text messages until I asked him to stop. No need in continuously riding a ferris wheel of nonsense... that is where I got off.
The past few weekends here in Washington, I have the opportunity to get out and hang out with friends that I haven't seen much and along the way met a couple new friends... in that time I met a pretty decent person. Always open to new friendships... well most of the time. Anyway we were supposed to go to the movies this Sunday with some other friends to see 4 Brothers... but it ended up just being us. We had a good time and talked most of the night until my sinus headache got the best of me. Anyway I guess I need to name him so I can reference him in future posts so he is officially..... Dancer'sThighs.
In the Background: Loose My Breath: Maurice's Nu Soul Mix - Destiny's Child (dedicated to KravingATL)
I ain't having sex with you...
Posted by C. Baptiste-Williams at 4:09 PM Labels: hiv, social commentaryWell like I needed yet another reason not to have sex... I got one last week. A friend forwarded me a press release from the DC Appleseed Center, a public policy and research center here in Washington. When I read the title, DC Appleseed Calls for Major Changes to District of Columbia's Response to HIV/AIDS Crisis, I was immediately like ok this is old news. Everyone who knows anything about DC and HIV knows there has been a crisis going on for awhile. But yet like voting rights... it always goes overlooked. So of course I didn't read the press release because this was old news to me.
So this morning as I am standing in line at the post office... I hear NPR in the background discussing this new report by DC Appleseed. Hearing the discussion made me want to read the report as soon as I got back home. Some of the most disturbing lowlights of the report were:
- The District's annual rate of new AIDS cases is over 10 times the national average and is
believed now to be the highest of any major U.S. city. - Unfortunately, even these numbers fail to capture the extent of the epidemic because
they do not include HIV-positive people in the District who have not developed AIDS. - District public health officials estimate that 1 out of every 20 District residents is infected.
While those facts are surprising the most interesting part of the report discusses the District of Columbia's efforts in addressing this epidemic. The report details how the District is not systematically collecting and analyzing data about the epidemic in a way that would allow it to plan prevention and care effectively. It also states that the current HIV/AIDS services are not sufficient for the population including efforts in schools, jails, and among drug users.
With all this said... get tested, ask your partner, and use protection... just like you wear a seat belt, look both ways before crossing a street.... take the initiative to protect your own life.
Me and one of my bestfriends and his boyfriend for two years were leaving a party a party a few weeks ago, when we started discussing my ex that appeared at the party with his new beau. I was quite upset that he would bring this new person and try to appear so happy in a party I organized without at the very least giving me a headsup. What made the evening even more disturbing was the fact that in his hug goodbye his hands went to places that would have gotten him knocked out if it didn't feel so gooooood.....
Anyway back to the car ride home... we were discussing my perpetual state of dating someone for a few months before casting them to the side because they do not live up to my expectations. It was on this ride home that he said something that I can still here ringing in my ears, "Just as like we sit here discussing other people at the party... someone is discussing us and you as well. Have you ever thought that the reason people are not coming into your life is because they can see all the baggage you are carrying."
I sat there in complete quiet just saying over and over.. "damn ..... I never thought about that."
So that conversation, the trip to Montreal, yoga this past Saturday and the conversations I have had since I have been home, have driven me to finally let it go. I have tend to give so much of myself in relationships that I always feel the desire to keep the exs around if for nothing more than friends. But at the same time always wondering what if.... Sometimes this has brought nothing but headaches but yet I deal. But not anymore I am letting it go... releasing that energy that is binding me and opening the window to the new opportunities that have recently presented themselves.
Damn I hate the first of the month...
Posted by C. Baptiste-Williams at 8:18 PM Labels: social commentaryOk so I left work early today (what else is new) to meet a friend for lunch. At the last minute I decided that I would cook instead (don't ask me why because everyone knows domestic work isn't me). So I go to the Safeway not far from my house (why I have no clue I never go to this ghetto ass store but for some reason today I was being lazy). As I walked around the produce looking for some potatoes, I started listening to a conversation next to me.
Woman #1: This baby stinks... did you change her diaper before we left.
Woman #2: No she didnt stink when we left.
Woman #1: Well she stinks.
Woman #2 walks off to another aisle
about 3 minutes later I am searching for some fish in the seafood section only to be encountered once again by the women and kids....
Woman #1: Yes Sheniah (0r however you spell those shenene names) u stink
Woman #2: Why you broadcasting to everyone that she smells
Woman #1: Shit everyone can smell it.
Woman #1 adds 3 packs of bacon to her nearly full cart.
I never understood why people wait till their pantry is nearly empty to come to the grocery store and stock up with an overflowing basket of food. Lucky me the ghetto Safeway only has 3 lines open and once again I find myself with my 12 items behind the women and kids....
Cashier: Do you have a bonus card?
Woman #2: No but let me enter my phone number instead.
Cashier: (several minutes later) Your total is $298.23
Woman #2: I have my card (she swipes what looks to be a credit card but has no visa or mastercard logo... hmmm food stamps)
Cashier: Your total is $36.12
Woman #1: You need to put something back... put those pampers and plates back we can get some from the dollar store up the street.
Cashier: (obviously annoyed)... umm hmm your total is $22.84
God knows I hate the first of the month. Damn I forgot the dishwashing liquid.
In the Background: some annoying reality show
