So... how 'bout that Supreme Court ruling?

okay. so i know you have been paying attention.
i know you know there is a hispanic sister up for supreme court nomination.
did you know that she is generally middle-of-the-road rather than liberal with a few particular exceptions?

do you know the supreme court overturned one of those exceptions yesterday?

justice sotomayor wrote the ruling of the lower court that said that yes, if you have a test and the white guys pass and get promoted but none of the black guys do, then you have a problem.

the city threw out the test. there was an investigation, a panel, some wrangling. and then no one got promoted. the city contends that such racially disparate results meets the criteria of discrimination.

the city's problem: did the right thing, but didn't have good enough lawyers to phrase their decision correctly. the city stated, outright, that it was throwing out the results because it was afraid the black guys would sue.

the white guys sued instead.

the supreme court ruling actually says that because the city's only reason for throwing out the test results was fear of a law suit, throwing out the test was invalid. applying the just slammed legal standard of "disproportionate racial results"... is no longer enough.

so the take home message? we had just gotten to the point where you had to jump through hoops in order to justify lack of diversity or the absence of discrimination if you had no black folks on your team. now you have to jump through hoops to try to fix it. (believe or not... not my words, npr's nina totenberg's summary http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=106038551)

ladies and gents; brothers and sisters;
i'm going to put this on my list of the "brand new okie dokes."

this is why a nation of critical thinkers is imperative to progress. (it may also be why our school system sucks... to maintain the status quo... but that is a conspiracy theory i don't have time to get in to.)

to those of us who have been trained in and have been moving through the "majority" world, it is quite clear that racism and discrimination is not what it used to be. much more nuanced. the crosses don't burn on front lawns anymore; they burn in people's hearts. and the numbers may be small... but we all know the power of a committed minority - regardless of whose side they are on. those of us who simply look to the "visible" signs of progress are missing the point.

i am not suggesting that the supreme court or lawyers on the "other side" or even the white firefighters are closet cross burners. i am suggesting that we are all susceptible to missing the modern subtleties of discrimination and disparate behavior. or even the legacy of overt behaviors that we simply haven't gone deep enough to fix.

it has not been considered, it seems, that a more sophisticated version of discrimination would be to have all of the people pass the test but only certain of the people pass with scores that could get them promoted.

to believe anything else, is to believe that black firefighters are naturally less qualified, or lazy, or unprepared, or unsuited for leadership.

hmm.

for those of you who see President Obama as the signal that we have arrived, i suggest you look down at your feet. please make sure that your shoelaces are not hooked on to that bus that is rolling down the hill... backwards.

I'm Totally Foucsed, man!

Back in the game, day 1. (Well... It's actually Day 2 now because I couldn't figure out how to remote blog on day 1. But I'm getting it!)

And I remember things like... This thing takes muscles - vocal muscles. I'm building those back up! I have learned how to take care of my voice by being around singers.

What? Poets have to take care of thier voice? Now, you're just being a diva, Jahipster.

Nope. Think about: I had three hour-long sets, plus an impromtu 30 radio interview today at the Folklife festival. Knock of 10 min for set-up time. Cut the shared sessions to half time, and you still have about 2 hours of talk time.

Not talk-conversation time. I'm talkin' belly tightening diaphragm lifting projecting rapid fire multi-octave performance-talk time.

So yea. Drink water. Make tea and get that singer's something throat spray.

Ahem. I am feeling a bit scratchy.

Making the Switch: Double lives are possibly overrated

Among the many many ways I am not ready... and among the long long list of things to do to truly consider myself "prepared" for my performances this week at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival... is a real standout: I'm stuck in double ID limbo.

Making the "switch" between persona and professor is a major transformation. Now, when I'm in true form - regularly open mic'ing, actively writing, and teaching - the transformation can take place in a dressing room. It's amazing what an afro will do for you if you really let it do the work!

But in my new role of "high powered almost all consuming diva manager", where there is always something for me to do or think about in relation to my job, the switch is much harder.

I am under-confident; my stomach is tight.

And dang it. I don't feel like a diva.

Though the stewardess did tell me I was beautiful. And that helped.

But, in common vernacular - I need to chill the frick out. In poet speak, I need to take a minute to ohm. Maybe I'll just quote myself...

with some appropriate paraphrasing...

time to remix sankofa
into the song of solomon
and fly myself home

this is a spiritual war
and i’m gon’ need to take a minute and ohm
before tying up my ashe
gathering my chi
and strapping on my redemption
all ancestors on deck
shake away the self-doubt
cleanse this aura and

wipe that plantation grin off my face



it's time. see you soon.