Weblog » Archives » August 2004

  • Potential jurors quizzed for Kobe’s trial JC It’s time for jury selection. Kobe Bryant’s case is under way, and the prosecutors and defense attorneys are now reviewing the questionnaires that hundreds of potential jur…

  • Does celebrity trump race in the Kobe Bryant case?CVKWhich is more important in the Kobe Bryant case? Race? Or celebrity and class? That's the question posed by Kirk Johnson in the International Herald Tribune: "As rece…

  • Sony ad pulled after offending mixed-race BraziliansCVKThe Sydney Morning Herald reports that Sony Australia has pulled its first branding ad campaign in four years after the commercials offended people as far as Brazil,…

  • Biracial athlete proud of mixed heritageCVKHonolulu Star-Bulletin News profiles Olympian athlete Bryan Clay, who won a silver medal in the decathlon event: "Clay, who majored in social work, has a passion for children f…

  • Obama sparks racial labeling debateCVKThe Chicago Tribune's Clarence Page weighs in on the racial labelling debate that Obama's rise to political prominence has set off: "Without even trying, Obama seems to have touched…

  • Further evidence of DQ's cluelessnessCVKWow. Props to Swirl Bay Area chapter leader Megan Scott for unearthing this one. Slate.com's Timothy Noah was the first to write about Dairy Queen's unfortunately named "MooLatte" …

  • "Color of Water" serialized in NY TimesCVKThe New York Times is inserting James McBride's The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother in the newspaper starting today, as part of its Great Summer Read pr…

  • China's "Miss Plastic Surgery" beauty pageantCVKThe L.A. Times reports on a new beauty pageant, to be held in November in Beijing, called "Miss Plastic Surgery." All contestants must show doctor's certificates proving th…

  • Filmmaker fought to get ‘Black Eyed Peas’ video on MTV’s Total Request Live show JC Patricio Ginelsa is the director of the video for Black Eyed Peas’ “The Apl Song.” He was determined to take the video to the top, an…

  • Afro-Peruvians speak out against racism JC The Miami Herald speaks to Afro-Peruvians who say that even in light of the 150th Anniversary of the abolition of slavery in Peru, racism is alive and well. Some of the probl…

  • Anti-adoption activists are fighting to make adoption obsolete JC A story on the Newshouse News Service brings to light the other side of adoption. While a staggering 94% of adults in the US have favorable opinions of …

  • One mixed brother helps another battle cancer JC The Dallas Morning News reports that the bone marrow transplant courtesy of little brother Xavier, is helping to save four year old Isaiah Forman. Isaiah, who had b…

  • Author Rebecca Walker's new web siteCVKFans of Rebecca Walker, author of "Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self", should check out her newly launched official Web site. In addition to the usual stuff …

  • A biracial singer who doesn't "pimp" her looksCVKToronto's Eye Weekly has an interesting interview with Martha Redbone, a gifted young part Native American, part African American singer. She sounds off on other "black In…

  • Vin Diesel may play legendary boxer Joe LouisCVKNew York Daily News reports that Vin Diesel may play legendary boxer Joe Louis in a film that Spike Lee will direct. However, some people involved in the production are not…

  • Ego Trip crew to produce VH1 "Race-o-rama" seriesCVKIf any of you caught the excellent "TV's Illest Minority Moments" special on VH1 awhile back, or flipped through "ego trip's Big Book of Racism," you'll be familiar wit…

  • Obama vs. Keyes: not black-on-blackCVKWriting for Africana.com, Siddartha Mitter argues that the race between Barack Obama and Alan Keyes for the Illinois senate seat is not one of black against black (as many have charg…

  • "Good" hair, "bad" hairCVKPalo Alto Weekly profiles performance artist Venus Opal Reese, who explores how hair both burdens and liberates women of African descent in a solo performance piece called "Split Ends." In the i…

  • Alicia Keys to publish two booksCVKMTV News reports that Alicia Keys is planning to publish two books, one poetry collection and another that consists of excerpts from her personal diary: "My first book is called 'Tears…

  • Blog sets off Washington DC sex scandalCVKThe Washington Post has a long article about Jessica Cutler, a former Capitol Hill assistant who set off a storm of controversy after Wonkette, a widely-read online gossip column…

  • Thandie Newton, ice queen?CVKThe New York Daily News's Gatecrasher column has a pretty snarky item about actress Thandie Newton's interview in the latest issue of Trace magazine: "The Oscars mean nothing to me now," she…

  • Keanu gets engagedCVKI'm sad to report that Keanu Reeves is getting engaged, and it's not to me. Oh shut up, I know I'm not the only one with a soft spot for ol' Keanu. :) Gawker reports that Keanu Reeves has proposed to…

  • Adoptees return to Seoul JC Seoul Classified Magazine speaks to some Korean adoptees about their childhood and returning to live in Korea as adults. This month marks the first “Adoptee Gathering” in Korea as well. …

  • The intersections of multiraciality and class JC The Los Angeles Times - a new report shows that Newport Beach has the fewest number of multiracial residents in California, according to the 2000 U.S. Census. Why? It’s…

  • Mixing cultures through music JC The Globe and Mail reviews mixed singer, Lila Downs. They say that doubters make the best converts. The Mexican-American singer Lila Downs knows a little about that, having spe…

  • Not black in the “usual way” JC Vanessa Williams of the Washington Post responds to an article originally written by Scott Malcomson for the New York Times. In his story about Barack Obama, Malcomson identifies the Ill…

  • Adoptees return to Korea for conference JC The Korea Herald speaks to Eileen Thompson-Isaacs while she is in Seoul for the third “International Adoption Conference for Adult Adoptees.” Around 450 Korean adoptees were i…

  • A new novel satirizes the hip-hop world JC The Boston Globe reviews Erica Kennedy’s new release, Bling. It’s a book that parodies the hip-hop industry (creating quite a buzz with people looking for similarities between…

  • Apparently, hybrid vigor applies to horses too JC Metro West Daily News reviews Hidalgo, a film released earlier this year, and now out on DVD. Purportedly based on true events, it tells the story of a mixed horse and …

  • Racist like meCVKDebra Dickerson, author of the controversial book "The End of Blackness," wrote an essay on Slate today called "Racist Like Me: Why Am I the Only Honest Bigot?" In the essay Dickerson, a black woman hers…

  • Mixed woman a first for Irish pageant JC The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Sinead DeRoiste is the first African-American to participate in Ireland’s “Rose of Tralee” contest. Sinead DeRoiste is used to surpr…

  • Devon Aoki signs record dealCVKThe New York Post's Page Six reports that model and Benihana heiress Devon Aoki has signed a record deal for a cool million. She will be the first artist signed to former P. Diddy protege S…

  • New teen novel looks at the life of a biracial Indian girl JC The Seattle Times reviews three new novels that tell stories of young women of Indian descent. In Monsoon Summer by Mitali Perkins, 15-year old Jazz goes on…

  • Kimora Lee Simmons gets talk showCVKFashion Week Daily reports that Kimora Lee Simmons will soon be co-hosting a "View"-like daytime talk show called "Life & Style." Although officially, there are 4 hosts (Simmons, C…

  • Mixed-race South Koreans are beginning to gain more acceptance JC The Los Angeles Times interviews a few mixed South Korean women who speak about the hardships they endured growing up mixed, and the greater acceptance …

  • Obama is black…if you ask white segregationists JC Michael P. Tremoglie questions the way in which Barack Obama is being classified, racially. He says that calling Obama black when everyone knows full well he i…

  • MTV’s True Life: A Different Perspective ELW (a new MMW contributor!) I must say that I saw the True Life on interracial dating also and I disagree with most of what the first MMW respondent wrote. I'm wondering if tha…

  • Pibimpap – there's not only one right way to eat it! JC Joshua Park writes a piece about eating Pibimpap for the Korea Times. Ok, it’s not just about that. He uses the Korean dish as a symbol and suggests more open-mi…

  • Mixed Ukrainian television personality finally finds Nigerian family JC The BBC World Service accompanies Myroslav Kuvaldin on his search for his long-lost father, and his African roots. He shares his positive perspect…

  • Journalists talk race JC The Washington Post reports on the 2004 Unity Conference, a unique chance for journalists of color to gather. While some believe that race has divided the group and rendered this mass meeting u…

  • Young Japanese-Americans Honor Ethnic Roots JCD Today, The New York Times published an article on the transforming Japanese American community. It featured a Japanese American woman of mixed heritage that was last y…