My Man Bernie: A Comedic Genius

“I want to bust those kid’s heads ‘til the white meat shows!!”

It never got old to hear comedian Bernie Mac say that line on his television show.

When the Bernie Mac show aired in 2001 (yes it was that long ago) it immediately became the sitcom that I watched every Wednesday night with my family. I remember us relaxing with snacks and cracking up laughing at Bernie’s antics. The way Bernie would get frustrated with the kids, be smooth with his wife, Wanda, and be the tough “Mac Man” around his boys was hilarious but genuine. He addressed the audience/viewers as “America” as he sat in his chair in his den, making you feel as if he was talking directly to you. I loved how he included what I call “Old School” music in the show. In one episode, you could hear snippets of songs from The Isley Brothers, Earth Wind & Fire, and the like. The Bernie Mac Show was original, good, clean family comedy.

A few mornings ago, my mom was watching an episode of the Bernie Mac show on BET and that’s what sparked the idea for this post. I still watch the reruns that are shown and I crack up laughing as if the episode is brand new.

Although he’s no longer with us, his comedy is still available for his fans to enjoy and that’s something worth celebrating. Besides, if laughter can heal the soul, why not enjoy the comedy of a man who was a comedic genius?

Thanks for the laughs, “Mac Man”. Check out this clip from one of my favorite episodes.

 

Getting “Beautified” Never Gets Old

It’s not a secret.

I enjoy getting my hair done.

Something magical happens when I sit in the chair and let my stylist work her magic. Personally, my stylist Harvette is more than a stylist, she’s become a friend, and at a times a counselor to me.

Last week though, I was able to share my stylist with my family as we all got “beautified” together.

My good friend Jennifer surprised me at the hair shop when I found out our appointment times overlapped. Not only was she there, but her mother was there, and my mom dropped my little sister off at the shop not long after I had arrived. That day was what I call a “Beauty Day”/ “Family Reunion.” We talked, shared updates, Harvette chimed in updates of her own and the occasional joke, and of course we admired each other’s hairstyles.

That day reminded me that going to the hair shop means more than just making sure my style is right and feeling like a “girlie-girl”. It’s an experience; a time to celebrate being a woman, an African American woman.

And being able to celebrate my femininity and black heritage will make me “whip my hair back n forth” any day.

(Below: Jenny and I after she got her hair done and prior to me getting my hair done).

 

My “She-ro” Ida B. Wells

“I’d rather go down in history as one lone Negro who dared to tell the government that it had done a dastardly thing than to save my skin by taking back what I said.” — Ida B. Wells- Barnett

Anyone who knows me well knows this fact : I LOVE Ida B. Wells.

To me, she is the epitome of what it means to be fearless.

The first time I heard about her was in college in my Intro to African American Lit course. A required reading for the class was the book “Crossing the Danger Water: Three Hundred Years of African American Writing“. When we were assigned to read the section on Ida B Wells I simply could not get enough of her. Not only was Wells a journalist (as I proclaim to be) but she published many articles about a topic that I will never (and should never) be comfortable with: Lynching.

Wells began her anti-lynching crusade when three successful black businessmen, whom she knew personally, were lynched. In an editorial, she rejected the claim that they were lynched because of an affront to a white woman, but instead argued their death was the result of racial hatred and economic competition. When Wells’ editorial appeared, she was attending a conference in Philadelphia; her office was ransacked and her life was threatened if she returned home to Memphis. I’m convinced that had Wells been in Memphis during the release of that editorial she would have been killed. But, what makes her story so dynamic to me is that even if she had been killed, in her mind, the victory would still have been hers.

I can only imagine how strong she was, especially as a woman who was barely 5 feet tall. But, she stood for what was right and repeatedly exposed what was wrong despite the consequences, of which she knew death was almost always first on the list possibilities.

And so, here I am, a young woman, a young aspiring journalist, a young woman who has someone like Wells to look up to and admire. She is my “She-ro” and her contributions to the African American community can be summed up in one word : Epic.

For more information on Ida B. Wells Barnett visit the link below

http://www.idabwells.org

 

Honoring Dr. Maya Angelou

“When someone shows you who they are, believe them.” –Dr. Maya Angelou

That is one of my favorite quotes and Maya Angelou is easily one of my favorite writers.

According to my TODAY IN BLACK HISTORY facts, April 4, 1928 was when Maya Angelou was born.

During Black History Month this year, my co-worker Jessica surprised me with a complete, collected book of Maya Angelou’s poems. For me, that was the perfect Black History Month gift.

About a month later, I got the idea to start this blog and I’m grateful that I get to dedicate my first post on this particular blog to her; a woman of strength, and wisdom, and a woman who uses words in a way that no one else can.

This is what this blog “Brown Sugar, Brown Culture, Brown Skin” is all about- the beauty of African American’s and our contributions to society.

There’s no doubt Dr. Angelou has touched many by her incredible use of words. As a writer, I aspire to be like her. There’s something wonderful about touching people by means of the written word (and in Angelou’s case, the spoken word as well).

So, enough of my words, I’ll leave you with some of hers:

The caged bird sings with a fearful trill

of things unknown but longed for still

and his tune is heard on the distant hill

for the caged bird sings of freedom.

(From the Poem Caged Bird)