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Oh My Gosh
Al B Sure, K-Ci, and Tevin Campbell?
Posted by Rashid on October 31, 2005 at 10:29 PM | Comments (12)
That's exactly why....
You know, I really don't fucking like arguments. Or debates. I'd much rather sit back, smile, and nod.
Because motherfuckers just don't know how to disagree in 2005.
My friends and I can have differing opinions until the cows come home -- and its all good. I love them and can honest respect them.
For example....I am anti-military. Pretty staunchly anti-military. I am anti-war like a mofo. I will always discourage friends from joining and will forbid my children from doing so.
But I can respect those friends who are or were in the military and I won't question why they did it. That's on them, and I love them no less.
That's also why I keep my opinions to myself -- and why I so rarely take a public stand in my blog about more political topics. Motherfuckers want to judge you on your opinion. People can't just agree that there are many ways to look at a subject, and "different" doesn't always mean "wrong."
No...when Rashid Darden disagrees, he's too old to relate, too young to understand, naive, privileged, trying to be white, too gay, too black, not well-read, trying to conform with straight America, too well-read, an opportunist, a prick, an asshole....fuck it.
No matter how crazy I might come off (and crazy I really am -- hey, fair warning) I really and truly do think deeply about any subject I decide to speak on. As Tami from The Real World: LA might say "Don't underestimate my fuckin' ass."
But....I keep silent in public and speak my mind to my friends. They get me. And that's all good to me.
Posted by Rashid on at 9:54 PM | Comments (3)
DC Area Mens
I am looking for men.
But I can't tell you why just yet.
I KNOW! I suck. :-/
These men should be from 18-28, photogenic, handsome in an everyday sort of way, and comfortable being featured as a model on my website. Fully clothed, of course, what do you think this is, some kind of porn endeavor?
Email me with a head shot for details. rashid@oldgoldsoul.com
Contact me regardless how you look....overweight, slim, buff, dreadlocks, cornrows, bald, short hair, black, latino... I'll tell you more when you email me.
Posted by Rashid on at 6:28 AM | Comments (2)
Divo sighting
I seen Divo on TV!
He was singing at the Rosa Parks viewing at the Capitol.
I was like, hey, that guy looks familiar! I think that's Divo!
Then they gave him a solo and I knew it was him!
YOU GO BOY!
Posted by Rashid on October 30, 2005 at 8:13 PM | Comments (1)
Sup?
I hate the word "sup?"
Don't ever fucking ask me "sup?" or I will kill you.
Not only that...but what the hell am I supposed to say when someone asks me "What's up?" The answer is ALWAYS "Nothin' much." It's a dumb question!
You don't always have to say "Hello."
Spice it up with a "hey!"
TWO of my friends even say "Howdy!"
ANYTHING but "sup?"
I could forgive "sup" in person, because it's usually followed by my name.
But on IM...on these stupid dating sites....ughhhhh.....
And don't even think about saying "Sup" in my comments, mofos! lol
Posted by Rashid on at 4:49 PM | Comments (1)
Too Tired to be Entertained
So....I have been sleeping through my shows. Luckily, some have been repeats.
I haven't been taping Days of Our Lives or The Young & The Restless at all. Days just sucks....still and again. And Y&R just moves so fast for me.
Lost is not quite what I expected. I mean, it's not bad at all. Part of the problem is that I ALWAYS fall asleep during the last 15 minutes, wake up for the last 2, and totally don't understand what's happening.
I keep missing Commander-in-Chief, but it is easily my favorite new show! Every show has been a winner.
I haven't been watching Martha's version of The Apprentice because I'll be damned if I miss Lost! But when I catch the repeats, I still like it better than Trump's version.
In terms of music, I am only really feeling the new Sean Paul track as well as the Twista/Trey Songz joint, "Girl Tonight." I get sooooo happy when I hear it on the radio before work!
I bought a few DVDs when I was out with Neil this week....only one was something I didn't currently own on VHS (The Little Prince). The rest I already owned on tape, or were new editions: Candyman, The Warriors, and An American Werewolf in London.
That's about it...it's a slow entertainment week for me...
Oh...
Except for finding out that GEORGE TAKEI IS GAY!!!!
WHAAAAAAAAT??????
Posted by Rashid on October 28, 2005 at 8:15 AM | Comments (4)
When Worlds Collide
My school's PTA has profiled LAZARUS on their website!
It's in a blog style, so PLEASE check it out and leave a comment....they are really getting a kick out of the fact that people are checking the site out!
Posted by Rashid on October 27, 2005 at 6:47 AM
The Man Behind the Cover
This is me and Neil Wade:
Neil Wade designed the cover of Lazarus and will be designing the cover for Covenant. We hadn't seen each other for over two years until yesterday. He's currently visiting the DC area. We tried to get a signing set up for while he was here, but that didn't work out.
Anyway, he's a great guy and it was good to see him again.
If you liked the cover for Lazarus or want to post messages for Neil, feel free to leave your comments here!
Posted by Rashid on October 25, 2005 at 7:51 AM | Comments (11)
Those shirts...
So what's the deal with those t-shirts with the snowmen on them? I saw a black shirt with a gold snowman at the store last week, and I almost got it, but then i forgot by the time i made it to the register.
Posted by Rashid on October 24, 2005 at 8:32 PM | Comments (2)
I am a Gay Author of Note!
Check me out at PrideIndex!
Posted by Rashid on October 22, 2005 at 8:23 AM | Comments (3)
Hittin' the numbers
So me and my mom were talking today (I love my mom) and we were talking about the Powerball and whatnot. So she was like "Imagine what you could do with $250,000,000!"
And I was like hells yeah!
So here's my list:
Pay off my student loans!
Pay off my credit card debt and all other sorts of bills.
Houses in DC...one in Georgetown just to have one, one in the Gold Coast (that will be the BIG house), and maybe one in Columbia Heights because I like the area.
Spots in Philadelphia, New York, Baltimore, Miami, Chicago, and Los Angeles. I mean yeah, that's a lot, but shoot, Oprah has a lot, too. I want to feel home wherever I go, and I think 250 mil should be able to buy that comfort, lol.
A car or two. I'm not really into cars, so whatever works.
House for mom dukes and her husband.
Pay off my friends' student loans.
Peace of mind as a self-published author...please believe if I never traditionally published but was a millionaire, it wouldn't even matter. I'd finally have the resources to do it ALL. Full-time editors, publicists, artists. All of that. In addition to publishing my own work, I'd be able to lift up those other artists that I believe in.
Pay my life membership for APhiA....become one of those Golden Torchbearers for APO.
Donate shit loads of money to Georgetown and get something named after me.
To be honest, other than places to stay, settling debts, investing money so that my money lasts forever, and incorporating Old Gold Soul so that it's on par with other small publishing houses (or hell, medium sized ones) I don't have much I want to throw money away on. I don't need a private jet, I don't think. (Though having one would probably be more convenient than commercial airlines. Cozier, too.)
I don't need a yacht...I don't need "stuff" and "things"....I don't want to collect art. Though I do have some rare books I want to add to my collection.
I just would use lottery winnings to make my life comfortable. I would still wear off-brand clothes and be averse to lots of jewelry. I'd probably invest in some nice suits, but nothing ridiculously expensive.
I'd kinda want to be a philanthropist, too. Put folks through college and whatnot....that's the kind of stuff that's fun to me, especially since I benefitted from such generosity myself.
250 mil is a lot of damn money.....shoot, I could live off of the interest alone, lol.
Posted by Rashid on October 20, 2005 at 7:26 PM | Comments (2)
October 20 Round-Up
George Washington University AKAs host fourth annual "Miss Freshman Pageant"
Toochi Ngwangwa was crowned Miss Freshman 2005 out of a group of 11 contestants Sunday night during a pageant ceremony emphasizing students' academic achievements, community service participation, creativity and personality.
The Miss Freshman Pageant, which focused on the theme "Excellence: Unified through Purpose and Poise," was hosted by the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority and was open to all freshmen. At Sunday's final ceremony in the Marvin Center Ballroom, students involved in the event were judged based on their talent performances, interviews and evening wear presentations.
Prior to the pageant, participants attended workshops on ballroom dancing, etiquette, professional development and money management. The contestants accumulated points by participating in these events and by making bag lunches for two local shelters and fundraising through advertisement sales.
Ngwangwa, who received a $1,000 scholarship for first place, garnered enthusiastic applause during her performance of an original poem, and the crowd cheered when, during the interview portion, she said her most prized possession was her identity. Despite taking home the crown, Ngwangwa said all of the contestants should feel proud of how far they came since the start of pageant preparations.
"We all win," she said. "We practiced hard every day and every night, and we came together. We share this crown."
Freshman Macy Jenkins was first runner-up, and freshman Nadia Sesay came in as second runner-up. They received $500 and $250 scholarships, respectively. Freshman Teiko Akufo's enthusiasm and positive disposition during the pageant were recognized by judges, and they gave her the title Miss Congeniality.
This year's contest was the fourth Miss Freshman Pageant at GW. The pageant is a tradition for the GW chapter of Alpha Kappa and was revived this year because of the chapter's return to campus last year.
Although the participants competed against each other for the crown, most said they had a great time together and enjoyed the opportunity to be a part of the pageant.
Contestants and organizers alike agreed that the pageant was far from ordinary.
"People usually think pageants are all about beauty, but this has nothing to do with that," freshman and participant Ivie Guobadia said. "At least not with outward beauty; it's more about inner beauty and the hard work that all of us put into this."
Other contestants said they enjoyed the workshop component of the event because they were able to learn new skills.
"I did think that they were very beneficial. In the one about etiquette I learned what to do in an interview, which was helpful," freshman Ursula Anderson said. "It will be good to know when I'm trying to find a job in the future."
Friends and family of the contestants and sorority members gathered in the Marvin Center ballroom decorated with pink, silver and black balloons. Several groups of students were there to support their classmates, and one group held a sign saying, "We love our ladies."
The Hilltop - Campus
Issue: 10/20/05
Ubiquity Replants After Damaged Tree Cut Down
By Keirsten Murrian
Ubiquity is a non-Greek, Afrocentric fellowship at Howard University
Members of Ubiquity, Inc. have planted a new tree where their old tree used to stand before it was knocked down by a severe thunderstorm over the summer.
Ubiquity planted the new tree earlier this week, not as a replacement for the one they lost, but as a part of their membership intake process. Discussions of a tree paid for by the University are still underway.
"I think the University should give them a tree," said senior psychology major Sheria Andrews. "It wasn't their fault that a storm came and knocked down their tree."
The loss of the tree that has stood for so long was a shock to members of Ubiquity. Some members even remember exactly where they were when they noticed or were told that their tree was being cut down.
Senior political science major Alisa Gilmore, member of Ubiquity, was on her way from class this summer when she saw the tree being cut down.
"When I walked out of my planetary sciences class in summer school, I watched them while they were cutting it down," said Gilmore. "The roots were still in the ground."
A fellow Ubiquitarian told Morgan that after the storm the tree was still standing.
Gilmore believes that the tree being cut down is a deeply rooted issue.
"Swygert didn't want it there," she said. "The tree was a problem during graduation because it got in the way," she said. "People in the bleachers sitting next to the tree were unable to see."
Senior television production major Asia Sutherland said whatever the reason, it was wrong to cut down the tree.
"I think it's wrong that they took down the visual representation of their organization," she said. "It's not as well known as the other non-Hellenic organizations."
Adam Wynn, senior public relations major, thinks Ubiquity is entitled to another tree just like Sigma Gamma Rho.
"If they gave the other organization a tree, they should give them a tree," he said. "They should be fair about it.
In September, there was a meeting between Ubiquity and Student Activities to discuss what could be done about the tree. According to Ubiquity members, there is talk of putting a sculpture in its place.
"We have mixed feelings about the sculpture or the tree," said Morgan about Ubiquity members.
Founder of Ubiquity, Donald Temple does not have a problem with the statue and said that he would pay for it himself. The tree was a very important aspect of the Ubiquity trial process.
"We have a rights of passage and the tree is used," Gilmore said. "It's nice to have a statue, but the tree can't be replaced," said Gilmore. "We knew we wouldn't get anything without a fight."
She along with other members of Ubiquity hopes that the statue that may stand in its place of the tree will be there by the end of the semester.
Several attempts were made to contact Steven G. Johnson, director of Physical Facilities Management, about this matter, however he was unavailable for comment.
Posted by Rashid on at 6:35 AM | Comments (0)
The Deaths of Him and Dwayne Wayne; the Rebirth of 'Shid
One of these days I'll recap the more literary parts of this past weekend -- which was a blast. But for now, some more important things are on my mind.
As of late, I had been resigned to my "fate" -- a prison that I created for myself in which no man would ever be able to woo me, love me, care about me, etc, the way I could ever possibly need them to. Even announcing my vow of celibacy was an extension of that. In a way, it was moreso me announcing that I'd probably never have sex again.
And the first day of my trip, all the negative feelings came back... HIM was the same old him. Doing dumb shit. Really inconsiderate shit. I visited him on Sunday night and made plans to crash there overnight and catch my flight the next morning. I was really looking forward to learning how to be his friend again. It's hard to bounce to a friendship after having strong feelings for someone for so long. And as I say often in these pages, I never felt like he gave me the space I needed to learn how to be his friend.
The kicker was that he chose this particular opportunity to mention that he had a "friend" (a "special" friend I determined after posing the question). That's fine. What's that got to do with me? That's YO business, homie. I'm here to hang out, chill, do the things we can't do as friends because of distance.
So I am okay with the friend. Taken a bit aback, because hey, we talk on instant messenger every day and on the phone at least once a week, and there was only one other time he ever mentioned a guy. (If it was THIS guy, I don't know.)
But no...it didn't stop there. This is HIM we're talking about. He got on the phone with the guy and came INTO THE LIVING ROOM WITH ME while on the phone. Like, makes it a point! THEN the motherfucker says "Let me go...I'm being rude. I have GUESTSSSSSSSS."
Er?
I look around to make sure I hadn't accidentally packed one of my Kindergarteners with me, but no, it was just me. So he LIED to his new special friend about how many guests he actually had. You can fill in the blanks on your own about why he would have done that. My favorite words in this instance are "insecure" and "immature."
So then, same conversation, he tells old boy to "stay up" so he can talk to him again before he goes to sleep.
So of course, I am like riiiiiight....so you're telling the guy the same things you used to tell me, but in front of my face.
What's really going on? Why am I REALLY there?
So by this time, I am completely turned off....disrespected....NO, I don't want HIM and I wasn't spending the night at his house with any ulterior motives. Needed a place to crash and wanted to genuinely hang out as friends, talk, bond, etc. But it seems as though his intent was to show off his little friend.
And his little friend's 8x10 was so conveniently left on the coffee table.
(No...he's NOT cuter than me. But then again, friends have told me that HIM isn't a looker in the first place. C'est la vie.)
So by then, I have totally shut down. I don't feel like I have anything in common with him. I have lost respect for him. I am wondering why did I just spend like 26 bucks to get from Rittenhouse Square to HIS place when I could have stayed at Dwayne Wayne's!!! Which wasn't that far away from the airport, either.
He asked me if he could do anything else for me before I went to sleep. I gestured to the 8x10 of not-cuter-than-me dude's picture and told HIM "Yeah...take this with you."
Dead serious.
So, he took it. It wasn't in a frame or anything.
I am frustrated at this point. I cry a little. Not sobbing. Just a weep.
Then I call my friend SHIRT TALES who is familiar with the situation. We talked....and talked....well he talked, I whispered. I cried some more. But then, I got better. The most important thing he told me was:
You deserve to have your expectations met.
So profound...so much more specific than "You deserve better."
At that moment, I loved Shirt Tales. We've had conversations before and he's definitely been helpful, but he was seeing me at my darkest hour and knew the PRECISE thing to say. I didn't even know what would have consoled me, but somehow, he did.
People give me good advice all the time, and I know it's good advice, but Shirt Tales hit it dead on. At the right moment.
Before I went to bed that night, I knew that there were still good men out there in the world. I didn't have to "have" them in order to feel complete -- I AM complete. Shirt Tales is someone I feel like I would ruin if we ever got together, LOL. Not like literally, but you know...I want BETTER for him than I could ever give him. That's not meant to be self-deprecating, but to elevate him.
Before I would go to bed the following night, I would again, and very conclusively, be reminded that there were good men in the world. And maybe, just maybe, there would one day be one for me.
To be continued...
...but not before I tell the tale of how Dwayne Wayne died.
I was with Dwayne Wayne before I made it to see HIM. Dwayne Wayne is cool peeps. But I had another realization...
That nigga could NEVER do anything to destroy something real I could have with anyone else.
A simple revelation....kind like when Sarah utters "You have no power over me" in Labyrinth. In my mind, all at once, it just clicked that though I love him as a person and as a human being, we are too fundamentally different to be anything more than friends.
The person I want to be with, whoever and wherever he is, needs to make me feel special...beautiful...admired...respected.
And neither Dwayne Wayne nor Him have ever made me feel...I dunno...desired? I don't like game-playing, whether intentional or not.
So both die....with more or less a whimper.
I put my head to pillow that night with my emotions in turmoil. I asked Shirt Tales why does everything have to be a LESSON all the damn time? Why can't I just find that person, those persons, the man, MY MAN?
And HIM and DWAYNE WAYNE were old fucking news in the first place.
Well God, there it is....I linger. I wonder and wander. I second guess myself. All the time. The lesson to be learned, the reason these things happened to me on the same day....
God was making room.
To be continued....
Posted by Rashid on October 19, 2005 at 6:59 PM
The C Word
Not that it's anyone's business....but I'm going to do the celibacy thing until I'm in a committed relationship.
So there.
Posted by Rashid on October 15, 2005 at 10:12 PM
October 13 Round-Up
The Hilltop - Campus
(Howard University)
Issue: 10/7/05
Multi-Million Dollar Lawsuit Filed Against Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated
By Ayesha Rascoe
Two Howard Alumni filed a $10 million lawsuit against Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. in US District Court for the District of Columbia on Thursday, charging that the AKAs made false allegations of hazing against them.
Joie Jolevare and Salome Tinker, both members of the sorority, claim in their lawsuit that they were unjustly suspended from the organization after assisting members of Alpha chapter in a practice in March 2005 for the group's post initiation ceremony.
The two women allege that AKA Regional Director, Joy Elaine Daley stopped the sorority's authorized practice, and began an investigation into the event on the grounds that it constituted hazing because it was held outside.
In the lawsuit Jolevare and Tinker claim that contrary to regulations outlined in the AKA Constitution, they were never informed of the allegations made against them and they were suspended without any evidence that they participated in hazing.
They are suing the organization for purposeful defamation, breach of contract, negligence, and discrimination under the District of Columbia Human Rights Act, the lawsuit said.
"The days are over when you can make false allegations against upstanding members of the community without consequences," said Jimmy Bell, the attorney representing Jolevare and Tinker.
Daley was reached at her office at 11:00 p.m., but refused to comment because she said that her office hours were over.
Bell said the actions of his clients did not warrant suspension.
According to Bell both women, who are members of the local graduate chapter Xi Omega, were asked to assist in the intake process of 2005.
Bell said that the alleged incident of hazing, however, occurred after the intake process was completed and that the new members practiced voluntarily.
"These aren't pledges," Bell said. "They are already AKAs."
He said the practice obviously was not mandatory because 12 of the 137 women who crossed last semester did not attend the event. Furthermore, Bell said it was not unreasonable for the practice to be held outside because it involved such a large group of people.
Bell also claims the allegations are frivolous because the AKA anti-hazing handbook "Just Say 'No' to Hazing" defines hazing as physical acts and or threats, none of which he said occurred according to the AKAs who were present at the practice. He said the nature of the alleged false claims made against the plaintiffs warrant the lawsuit.
"When you're saying my clients are [participating in hazing], you're saying they committed crimes," Bell said. "In the work force all you have is your integrity."
National AKA representatives were unable to be reached for comment. Alpha Chapter president Kimberely Mitchell also declined to comment.
Bell said he would like see an expeditious end to this conflict.
"I'm hopeful that the national office will resolve this matter," Bell said. "In the event that they do not we are confident a DC jury will resolve it and make my clients whole."
Alphas activate dual-membership status
Alpha Phi Alpha members participate in first meeting with National Pan-Hellenic Council; officially part of IFC, NPHC
(University of Virginia)
Becca Garrison
Cavalier Daily Associate Editor
The members of the Iota Beta chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. attended their first official meeting with the National Pan-Hellenic Council Tuesday, cementing their unprecedented dual membership in two different fraternal organizations.
Alpha Vice President Gregory Jackson, Jr. said the dual membership will allow the Alphas to be involved in the general University community through the IFC and to work more thoroughly with the black community through the NPHC, an organization of African-American fraternities and sororities.
"It's important to understand we are committed to the overall University community as well as being focused on the black community," Jackson said.
The Alphas joined the NPHC when its charter became official Sept. 18. Last February, the Alphas left the Black Fraternal Council (now the NPHC) to join the Inter-Fraternity Council. They have maintained their membership with the IFC.
Jackson said the Alphas were not rejoining the Black Fraternal Council, which was the home to black fraternities and sororities at the University prior to the formation of the University's NPHC.
"It's a totally different organization, and the national support system of the NPHC is phenomenal," Jackson said. "We just felt like it was the right thing to do."
Jackson said that the Alphas are proud of their dual-membership status.
The Alphas "have historically been pioneers," Jackson said. "We've always broken new barriers and taken new steps."
IFC President Ross Kimbel said executing dual membership is likely to be very challenging because the Alphas currently have four active members.
"The two councils are structured so differently that it's kind of unknown how this will work," Kimbel said. "We understand that adjustments are going to have to be made on all fronts, but most of them are superficial adjustments."
Kimbel said the three parties will have to work out the number of meetings the Alphas will now have to attend as well as compliance with two separate sets of by-laws.
All parties involved said the decision would not change the relationship between the IFC and the NPHC.
"We are not serving as a liaison between the councils," Alpha President Thomas Mmbaga said.
Kimbel and University NPHC President Isaac Noye said the two councils have a strong relationship that will continue to grow from regular contact.
"One of the most important parts of my job is to be able to help bridge between councils, and we also have the [Inter-Greek Committee] that does that," Noye said. "That isn't [the Alphas'] job because we have many different vehicles for that."
Noye said he is optimistic that the Alphas will be able to participate in both organizations.
"Right now I'm just trying to observe and see how it goes," Noye said. "Because it's unprecedented, I don't really know what to expect."
The Alphas said they were confident in their ability to be active and productive members of both organizations.
"The chapter is committed to the IFC and the NPHC, and we expect to grow," Mmbaga said. "We will have no trouble having representation on both councils."
Mmbaga will serve as the Alphas' representative to the IFC as chapter president and Jackson will be the NPHC delegate.
Jackson said involvement in the nationally affiliated NPHC was encouraged by the national chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. The national chapter was a founding member of the NPHC.
"As the NPHC, we follow a national structure of the national organization," Noye said. "APA, Inc. is part of that national organization, so joining the NPHC is in line with their national initiative."
Kimbel and Noye said the IFC and the NPHC do not have conflicting ideals that might create difficulties for the Alphas. They said the organizations have very different structures.
"NPHC fraternities are more geared towards service-oriented issues, while the IFC is more focused on governing and making sure social areas are properly addressed," Kimbel said.
Steppin’ onto campus
Newly chartered black sorority prepares to make its mark
(Northwestern)
By Deepa Seetharaman
October 10, 2005
The Daily Northwestern
Although Greek Scene, National Pan-Hellenic Council’s annual step show, is months away, at least one sorority is practicing to ensure they can step up to the competition.
Meet Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc., a group of five women dedicated to service, scholarship and making their mark on Northwestern just six weeks after they were chartered.
“We have set a standard,” said Sara Sutton, Communication ‘05 and one of the founders of the Nu Sigma chapter of the sorority at NU. “What you see from us is what (is) associated with Zeta Phi Beta.”
Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc. is a part of the “Divine Nine,” a group of historically black fraternities and sororities throughout the United States. The sorority is the fourth black sorority to be instituted on NU’s campus. The other sororities are Alpha Kappa Alpha, Delta Sigma Theta and Sigma Gamma Rho.
While at NU, Sutton’s search for a suitable sorority proved fruitless. She had almost abandoned efforts but friends in the Zeta Phi Beta sorority’s brother fraternity, Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc., urged her to look into starting a chapter at NU. As a senior in college, Sutton became one of the chapter’s six founding members. The founders joined in May and received their charter in August.
Dedication to service is the sorority’s identifying mark, Sutton said. Members work with Family Focus Our Place Evanston, a local not-for-profit that helps children, teens, parents and families, and four state and national organizations.
The chapter was honored for its service at the Zeta Phi Beta state conference in September. They received one award for raising the most money of any chapter — about $400— for The Stork’s Nest Program, a philanthropy encouraging proper pre-natal care for underprivileged families. The other award was for their $200 pledge to Katrina victims.
“Once you join us, it’s not even about you anymore,” President Keyonda Evans said. “It’s about what you do for other people,”
Developing good relationships with NU’s other Greek groups is an additional goal for the group, said Evans, a SESP junior.
On Oct. 21, the group will host an all-campus party at Tommy Nevin’s Pub and Restaurant, 1450 Sherman Ave., to raise money for March of Dimes. The charity organization promotes proper infant care.
Zeta Phi Beta also hopes to sponsor a party with an Interfraternity Council fraternity, something that rarely happens, Evans said.
Achieving such goals is difficult because the Greek community is fractured, said Treasurer Jessica Carrasquillo, a SESP junior.
“We’re the same Greek system, (but we have) different cultures,” she said.
The group’s lukewarm relationship with the Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life also makes impacting NU difficult, Evans said. Evans was given just a one-day notice of the last NPHC meeting. The group is also the only organization without a link on the Fraternity and Sorority Life’s Web site.
“We are still out of the loop,” Evans said. “We are very new and don’t always know what’s going on.”
Kyle Pendleton, director of Fraternity and Sorority Life, could not be reached Friday for comment.
Zeta Phi Beta’s first chapter was founded Jan. 16, 1920, at Howard University in Washington, D.C. The sorority became the first Greek organization to charter a chapter in Africa and to form auxillary groups to support young girls and women who had not yet or never attended college.
Despite the sorority’s history as a black organization, most of the group’s members come from different backgrounds.
“We’re not particularly looking for specific races or anything,” Evans said. “If you have it, you have it.”
The group has not scheduled “membership intake,” a recruitment program. What they do know is that the incoming class of Zetas will be held to the highest possible standards, Carrasquillo said.
“You have to want it, not just wear the letters but know the letters,” she added.
JSU Suspends Campus Fraternity After Shooting
POSTED: 8:03 am CDT October 7, 2005
UPDATED: 8:15 am CDT October 7, 2005
JACKSON, Miss. -- Jackson State University has suspended a national fraternity chapter after a campus shooting in September.
Investigators said graduate student Ryan Mack shot Omega Psi Phi member Ben Hart during a fight with Hart and two other fraternity members.
Hart spent weeks in the hospital with his injuries.
JSU has suspended Omega Psi Phi from the campus for three years.
The Hinds County district attorney is investigating the shooting.
The Chanticleer - News
(Jacksonville State)
Issue: 10/13/05
Greeks: Making the Grade
By Kimberly Davis
Greeks strive toward academic excellence by making their grade point averages their number one priority on campus. Many of the Greek organizations have reached their academic goals while others are still working hard to maintain their status.
The Greeks' overall GPA average is calculated by adding all the members of each chapter together and dividing it by the total number of members. The chapters are ranked in order according to their GPAs every spring semester from the previous fall grading period. The rankings for spring 2005 place Alpha Omicron Pi with the highest GPA on campus. Their overall GPA is a 3.08 and, they were honored by the university for their academic achievement.
"There are many incentives we have to maintain academic achievement like Pi Club, Panda Pal, Academic Center for Excellence, and our special Ruby 'A' badge," said AOPi President Lindsey Brown.
AOPi's "Pi Club" honors and rewards members who attain a 3.14 GPA. They also have a "Panda Pal," named after their mascot that matches up members in the same field of study.
The panda pals help each other throughout their college career. Alpha Omicron Pi sorority members are all required to visit the Academic Center for Excellence each week. The number of hours they are required to spend there depends upon their GPA.
The special Ruby "A" badge is rotated to the sister with the highest GPA in the sorority.
"Alpha Omicron Pi is founded on friendship and, we uphold everything we work for. Our GPA is above average over all the other women and, we will work harder this fall to maintain our number 1 spot," said Brown.
Delta Zeta ranks number twelve overall with a 2.35 GPA. They are improving their GPA by developing a class that will teach each member how to study.
"I am making sure that the girls are aware of how important our grades are, and we will try our best to improve individually for our entire chapter," said Delta Zeta President Jessie Owens.
Owens is encouraging her members to maintain a beneficial relationship with their professors, so their grades will improve for spring, 2006. Delta Zeta's goal is to improve their GPA to a 3.0.
Sigma Nu ranks number four with the highest GPA in the InterFraternity Council and over all the other fraternities on campus.
"We help guys focus on what they are in school for by making our grades priority and, we excel by having study groups," said Sigma Nu President Drew Wagner.
Sigma Nu fraternity prepares young men for the future by making their academics a priority with a 2.85 GPA.
Pi Kappa Phi ranks number sixteen overall with a 2.17 GPA. They are striving toward a higher GPA for spring 2006.
"We are working harder to improve our grades this semester by having a mandatory study session twice a week," said Pi Kappa Phi President Woody Rozier. Pi Kappa Phi goal is to improve their GPA to a 2.65 for spring 2006.
Delta Sigma Theta ranks number five with the highest GPA in the National Pan-Hellenic Council. Their overall GPA is a 2.82.
"We are striving for academic excellence as a whole by staying on top of our studies, attending classes, and talking to professors if we have problems around midterms," said Delta Sigma Theta President Marshonntri Reid.
Delta Sigma Theta maintain their grades through their Scholarship Committee which helps implement programs and develop study sessions.
They have received other rewards for their academic success, such as the Presidential Bronze cup for their accreditation program.
"Our goal is to regain that number one spot that we had in previous years," said Delta Sigma Theta President Marshonntri Reid, referring to the number one overall ranking the sorority held in fall 2003. They are aiming for that number one spot in spring 2006.
Iota Phi Theta Fraternity ranks number 18 with a 1.73 GPA, and they are taking steps to improve their GPA by having brotherhood study sessions.
"We have implemented a brotherhood study session where each brother helps each other with their weakness, so we can excel as a whole," said Iota Phi Theta President SirArthur Edwards. " Our grades decline last semester because of personal problems within the fraternity, but we are now focusing own personal problems and academics so each brother is a brother to his brother."
Iota Phi Theta goal is to maintain a 2.0 GPA for spring 2006.
Many of the Greek organizations are hitting the books hard with study groups, tutoring sessions and classes, so they can maintain higher academic standards for their chapters. They have set goals to achieve, so their academic improvement for this semester will show in the spring 2006 rankings.
Students show off bodies at Fit Body Contest
(Indiana State)
By Leslie Wills Staff writer
October 10, 2005
Students lined up outside Dede II on Wednesday to get a look at the participants of the 2005 Fit Body Contest.
The fifth annual Fit Body Contest was hosted by Sigma Gamma Rho sorority to give students the opportunity to show off their bodies after following a strict food regimen and hard work in the gym.
The criteria the participants were voted on were confidence, presentation, and response to the question, "Why should you be Mr. or Ms. Fit Body?"
The event began with a casual scene where contestants introduced themselves.
The swimsuit competition followed and audience members were so enthralled with the contestants that they lined the stage with cameras and video cameras.
All the contestants answered the same question, "Why do you feel you should be Mr. or Ms. Fit Body?," during the formal wear portion of the contest.
Runner-up Lydia Thomas, a junior child development and family life major, replied with humor by saying, "I think I should be Miss Fit Body because I don't work out, and I eat all fatty foods but my body is still slim."
Dada Yarmento, Ms. Fit Body 2005 and a senior business management major, said she should be Ms. Fit Body because she has lost weight and was very comfortable with her body.
"When I was in high school, females always told me I was fat," she said. "Now that I'm in college, I lost 20 pounds, eat healthy food and drink a lot of water."
Male contestant Raidu Allen felt that he should be the new Mr. Fit Body because he is from another country and he had a special surprise.
"I wanted to represent the West Indies and Jamaica," Allen said. "Also, it takes confidence and that's what I have, pure confidence... and one last thing."
Allen then stepped off of the stage and gave roses to the female judges.
Mr. Fit Body 2005 Paladin Jordan, a junior public relations major, said he should be crowned because he was fit without being really muscular.
"I think I should be Mr. Fit Body because not everybody has the football players' build to represent health and fitness like myself," Jordan said.
Hanif Muhammad, Mr. Fit Body runner-up and a junior finance and marketing major, said his dedication to track and personal fitness made him the perfect candidate for Mr. Fit Body.
"I put in long hours of dedication on the track team and on Mondays and Fridays lifting weights and my body is the best."
After the formal wear portion of the competition, Jamie Dearman performed a song while the judges formulated the score.
Jordan said that he didn't expect to win.
"I'm surprised. I really didn't think I was going to win," he said. "I prepared by running track which got me as fit as I am."
Judge Adeola Adediran, a senior communications major, said judging was difficult because all of the contestants were very fit.
"I think it was a tough decision and it was very close," he said.
Judge Tyanna Jackson, a junior radio/TV/film major, said the event was a success.
I think that it went very well," she said. "The males were extra confident but I really enjoyed myself and it ended up being a well-put together event."
Sigma Gamma Rho president Mayreena Turner said that she thought all the audience had fun and can't wait until next year.
"It's always a fun event that we look forward to every year. Once again we had a lot of fun with it," she said.
Posted by Rashid on October 13, 2005 at 8:18 PM | Comments (2)
"Bruh" and other traditions
I hate the word "Bruh."
There, I said it.
It doesn't sound distinguished to me and it reminds me of the Ques. I am not saying they own the rights to the word "Bruh" at all, I am just saying that where I am from, "Bruh" is just one of those words that is reminiscent of the Ques.
Also, a "bruh" to me is just any man at all...you know, country/urban slang or whatever.
Personally, I prefer the word "frat" if another brother is going to use slang to refer to me at all.
What Greek traditions irk you?
Posted by Rashid on at 4:26 PM | Comments (2)
Cousin
So I'm going out of town this weekend to multiple destinations, as you can see on my "Appearances" page. I needed a place to crash in Philly, and although HIM said yes, I still needed a plan B because he works late.
So I asked Dwayne Wayne...why did this nigga say yes, and if anybody asks, I'm his cousin.
*scurrrt*
Excuse you?
Seems like he wants people to believe I'm his cousin so people will be less likely to make assumptions or inquire about his sexuality.
I was so offended. I told him absolutely not -- I will not be LYING to anyone about how I know him. We're FRIENDS. Why should I lie about that? I mean jesus, even my straight friends aren't that concerned about what people will think.
He tried to laugh it off...it was so absurd. What made him think I would ACTUALLY go along with that?
FUCK THAT, I write books, bitch!
Posted by Rashid on October 12, 2005 at 7:42 AM | Comments (6)
I am so lucky.....
...or blessed, however you choose to believe.
Who knew that I could get so sad so quickly by thumbing through my junior high school yearbook???
I found out that one of my classmates died of AIDS not too long ago. I can't quite remember her and I can't find a picture. But I am just like damn....seeing pictures of so many folks who are dead, whether it is in body or in spirit.
Hopelessness is what kills our people.
But I did send an email to one cat I googled...the only one I could find an email for. We'll see if it bounces.
Posted by Rashid on October 11, 2005 at 5:39 PM | Comments (0)
Cleaning Up
I've been thinking a lot this weekend, mostly because the weather has been too bad to do much of anything else. I've also been cleaning. Most folks who talk to me via AIM always hear me say that I am cleaning. And for the most part, that's true. I live in a relatively small space that I don't particularly enjoy. Not a lot of sunlight and not enough places to store things for easy access.
But today I did some things that will end up saving me time down the road. Yes, I started doing my Christmas cards. (Crazy, right?) I still have a lot to label, but I took a big dent out of my list.
I also started getting my receipts together. Tax time will be here before I know it and I've got lots of receipts from the post office, meals, taxis, etc....lots of things that add up and can potentially be a tax write-off or something. I don't really know how it works, I'm just doing what The Self-Publishing Manual said to do.
And believe it or not, my space is still ridiculously junky. Not dirty...but very cluttered. I now have a bunch of space under my basement steps, but nothing to put there! Isn't that weird? My goal was to get the basement looking as close to how it looked pre-Lazarus as possible. That means all MY books go back on the shelves. That got accomplished, but now I realize I STILL have more books than I do shelf space. The Lazaruses are in boxes in the middle of the floor, and some are upstairs.
I am really glad that my receipts are better organized. About 80 percent are now taped to white pieces of paper and neatly stacked for review. I spent a SHITLOAD of money this year -- it's crazy how expensive it really is to self-publish. If I really knew, I would have talked myself out of it. So I'm glad I didn't know.
So yeah...cleaning and thinking. Thinking about ZERO.
Zero....ground zero...zero hour...the number between the set of all negative numbers and the set of all positive numbers....the point of departure in reckoning...a state of total absence or neutrality...the lowest point....nadir.
The him before him.
He's back.
Posted by Rashid on October 9, 2005 at 10:46 PM | Comments (2)
Adam4Adam -- What De Hell!?!?!
I had an earlier entry about lame pick up lines on Adam4Adam, and here are more:
Cum to Pappa baby! From a 40 year old married man in DC!
Good morning bruh just looking to tap the ass sometimes.No strings,no drama,no games and must be clean. I do have a pic to share. from a 47 year old man in PG County.
Like your look........can relate if you let me. From a very handsome 50 year old....with a nekkid pic!!!
are u horney from a 24 year old grad student in DC.
how u durrin'? from an 18 year old.
can i eat you out dawg????? if ithat yo thang...holla at yo boy.. so we can make it happen From somebody whose profile was deleted already
Posted by Rashid on October 7, 2005 at 7:04 PM | Comments (11)
I don't suffer fools gladly.
From the mailbag:
Let me start off by telling you, I'm glad you're a young positive brother doing your thing. Congrats and I wish you much success. My only concern is you using the image and the colors of Alpha Phi Alpha to market yourself. How are the two interconnected? There is already a stereotype of Alphas being gay, and obviously your work is perpetuating it. You didn't start it, I'm not postulating that you did, I just don't get why you don't use your talent and not have to "lean on the letters" to sell books. Is it marketing, do you think it brings you more fans, more controversy? I'm an Alpha, a raving, raging heterosexual and I'm sickened when people equate Alpha with gays. Our legacy is one of strong powerful black men, exceptional men, and we are being defamed. To each his own, I don't necessarily agree with homosexuality but, I don't think anybody can tell another person who they can or should love, but, this is ridiculous. Using the fraternity colors, using the colors in your pen name? Old gold and your novels are about homosexuals? This is out of pocket brother and I wonder if Tandy, Kelly, or any of the founders would approve of your violation of the crest. You can chuck this in your hate mail box, but, hate it is not. Be blessed brother and I hope you realize what you're doing.
Your email is full of contradictions. You say that I am a positive brother, yet I'm not. You wish me much success, but have you purchased the book?
How am I using the image of Alpha Phi Alpha to market myself? I AM AN ALPHA. I cannot and will not turn off my Alphaness for those of you (if you are indeed my Brother) who are not "comfortable" with those of us who are comfortable with ourselves.
What makes YOU the voice of Alpha? Why target me for my gayness? Have you sent similar emails to those members who might be abusing drugs, abusing women, failing out of school, not taking care of their kids, or hazing? PLEASE....you want to talk about defamation? Let's start talking about dead and maimed Sphinxmen -- THEN we can talk about who is really defaming my fraternity.
My work doesn't perpetuate a stereotype...if you READ my work, you will see that it doesn't. It actually attempts to destroy quite a few stereotypes -- one being that all heterosexual men are homophobes. That should be the one you're working on, but so far, you're failing.
And you know what.....NIGGA PLEASE! If you only knew how much I do NOT lean on my letters when it comes to my work! "Old Gold" is a color..... do you know how many fraternities and sororities use old gold as a color? Hmm, I can think of one...Alpha Phi Omega. I'm a member of that too, genius, and I probably mention it a lot more than I do Alpha. One reason is because the raging homophobes in APO generally keep to themselves. (Take a lesson from them.)
It's presumptuous of you to think that I am using Alpha to promote my book. If I was, don't you think I would have been at all types of regional conferences and the general convention to promote this mug? I WASN'T. People expected me to, but I didn't.
You being sick of people equating Alpha with homosexuality is really and truly your personal problem. I was gay before I was an Alpha. Alpha doesn't stop my gayness and being gay doesn't stop my Alphaness.
Not to mention....gay men can't be strong? Gay men can't be powerful? Get a fucking grip -- a gay man organized the 1963 March on Washington!
And for the record, I don't have a pen name -- my real name is Rashid Darden. That's the name I write my books with, and it's real.
And why do mofos ALWAYS fall back on the Jewels when it comes to this issue? Why fall back on seven dead men who never made any public statements for or against homosexuality? That's...that's....what's the word... a cop out? Obviously we can't just ring them up and ask their opinion. So you don't know and neither do I.
In short...don't email me with this bullshit anymore. When you enter MY space by emailing me your ill-conceived opinions on how YOU feel I am representing the fraternity, prepare to be ripped a new one. You don't know me and you don't have to support me -- but IF you are indeed my brother, do the brotherly thing and keep your opinions to yourself.
I mean seriously -- did you REALLY think I'd change the name of my entire domain AND my business because YOU think I am "representing" Alpha? PLEASE believe that what an "Old Gold Soul" really is will be lost on you.
Now...if any of you sons of bitches got anything else to say, now's the fucking time!
(That one's for you, FratMan1906 *wink*)
Posted by Rashid on October 6, 2005 at 7:55 PM
Lambda Rising Update
Recently, someone told me that Lambda Rising Books in DC had sold out of its stock of LAZARUS. I can’t remember who that person was, but I wanted to let you all know that the book IS selling well and probably is sold out. HOWEVER, if Lambda Rising is your store of choice, please have them special order the book for you. It is not a problem for me or them. The quickest way for a store to stock a book is through customer requests.
Lambda Rising is located in the heart of Dupont Circle at 1625 Connecticut Avenue in Northwest Washington, DC, across the street from the Dupont Circle Metro subway stop (Q St. exit)
(202) 462-6969
Hours:
10 am - 10 pm every day, 'til midnight Fridays & Saturdays
Posted by Rashid on at 9:47 AM | Comments (0)
I am Gay Bear!
Gay Bear
Which Dysfunctional Care Bear Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla
Posted by Rashid on October 5, 2005 at 7:32 AM | Comments (0)
Things that tick me off...
Pathological Liars....why is this so common? Some people just LIE for no good reason! I encountered my first pathological liar in high school....didn't meet a whole lot in college. But since college, jeez louise people be LYIN!
Homophobes who can't stay in the closet. So I was at UDC selling books, and TWO dudes, both Ques, said they wouldn't by my book because it was a "gay" novel. And I am thinking to myself what the hell happened to just politely setting the book down and wishing me luck? One DID buy the book though.
People who use big words for no reason. I use the occasional big word, but only if there isn't another word that is more precise. Some people just be wearing out their SAT words.
The dent in Lil Kim's nose.
Crying ass little boys. You want to hear something funny? Call me during work hours. The kids be LUNCHIN. We got this one little boy who is soooo sensitive, it irks me! I be wantin to say man up lil nigga! LOL But yeah, I am compassionate...I guess.
Gaining weight. Ugh.
Post nasal drip.
Late paychecks.
Posted by Rashid on at 7:17 AM | Comments (1)
Why Alpha? II
OMG, I TOTALLY forgot to write the rest of my Alpha Story. Unless I already did and mis-categorized it. (Part I is here.)
Well, here it is....
So I became crazy active with Alpha Phi Omega as an undergrad. Became Vice-President of Communications (Second in Command) and then Pledgemaster. I LOVED my Alpha Phi Omega experience at Georgetown. It is one of the best things I did. (Along with living in the Black House and founding the GU Step Team.)
Speaking of the Black House.... it was there that I lived with Justin McLaughlin-Williams, who was an Alpha and very close friend of Maya Buseman-Williams. At first I was like "OH LAWD I'MA HATE THIS NEGRO." But it wasn't like that AT ALL. This was one of the coolest, funniest, smartest dudes I had ever met at Georgetown. And the BEST part was that he FULLY accepted me. I had this notion that he might be this ultra macho homophobic man's man -- well, he was everything but homophobic.
Justin, to me, IS Alpha Phi Alpha. Not because he's all super active in the fraternity, but because he was the very first person in Alpha that I looked up to. He was my friend first. Then, through his life, he showed me what Alpha was all about. He never once recruited me...nor do I think he thought I was remotely interested.
And truthfully, I wasn't! I was so wrapped up in APO that I wasn't even thinking about my NPHC quest.
When Justin graduated, I wrote an article for The Georgetown Academy, which was a conservative, traditionalist, Catholic, pro-freedom of association magazine/newspaper. I was not into the conservative aspects of the rag, but I loved the fact that all of the articles were well-written. Hell, I like anything that opposes the norm, whether it is on my side of the argument or not. Well argued debates.
At any rate, this article I wrote was titled "Shuttered Legacy" and it was about how Georgetown's non-recognition of black greek orgs was hurting the university. My "hook" was how much of a shame it was that Georgetown's ONE Alpha had graduated without leaving behind a legacy. How Georgetown itself had a role in killing that legacy.
Damn that was a great article. And to think, I wasn't even interested in Alpha when I wrote it! (I don't think most people believe that, but I really wasn't.)
But this is what happened....as I was researching and editing the article, I had a conversation with myself. It went something like this:
"Hmmm...W.E.B. DuBois is an Alpha. That's hot."
"Wow....Thurgood Marshall, MLK, Keenan Ivory Wayans, Cornel West, Kelley Miller, Hubert Humphrey...."
"Hmmmmm...... 'Manly Deeds, Scholarship, and Love for All Mankind'......those are some tight cardinal principles."
"Justin is really cool. So are his chapter brothers."
"You know....those Alpha teachers I had in high school weren't THAT bad."
Then I started to internalize the history.... seven men at Cornell University, a school not unlike Georgetown...racial isolation...daring to start something that had never been done before.... those men sounded like me, kinda.
So, I had decided that the history resonated with me, and the prominent members were people I aspired to be like....but what about the programs?
Go-to-High School, Go to College. Hmmm. I believe in that.
A Voteless People is a Hopeless People. You damn right!
Project Alpha. Yeah...that's a right program.
So, the national programs were projects that reflected my personal values.
But what about the BROTHERHOOD? Could I stand in a room full of Alphas and feel comfortable? Could I feel PROUD? Are these men in line with what I believe in socially, politically, morally? And if we differ, can I respect those differences.
The answer was yes.
So during my senior year in college, I chose Alpha.
Two years later, in Spring 2003, through the oldest alumni chapter in Washington, DC, Alpha chose me.
Posted by Rashid on October 3, 2005 at 8:23 PM | Comments (2)
August Wilson Dies (Washington Post Article)
Provocative Playwright Chronicled Black America
By Adam Bernstein
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 3, 2005; A01
August Wilson, 60, whose plays about 20th-century black life were among the most celebrated of modern dramas, died yesterday at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, his city of residence. He disclosed in August that he had inoperable liver cancer.
Starting with "Ma Rainey's Black Bottom" (1984), a story of perseverance among exploited black jazz musicians in the 1920s, Wilson gained attention as one of the most vital and provocative literary voices of his generation.
He received two Pulitzer Prizes: for "Fences" (1987), about a ballplayer-turned-trash-collector who comes into conflict with his family; and "The Piano Lesson" (1990), about a struggle over the fate of a symbolic heirloom. "Fences" also won a Tony Award for Best Play.
On stage, Wilson created a succession of characters -- musicians, aging athletes from the Negro Leagues, cabdrivers, ex-cons, matriarchs and spirits -- who were proud yet angry about their circumstances. With poignant soliloquies that were his hallmark, he brought their oversized passions to often sad, rage-filled climaxes that were commentaries on their life choices and the legacy of slavery.
Wilson set each of the 10 plays, which formed a cycle, in a different decade of the 20th century, illuminating what he saw as a perpetual struggle for virtually all African Americans.
Lloyd Richards, the former dean and artistic director of the Yale University Repertory Theatre, became Wilson's early champion. "He has created a body of material for black actors and black theater people to look to," Richards told an interviewer. "There has been a lack of material on the library shelves on black theater and a lack of theater by blacks. . . . Having August's body of work in there leads people to an examination of theater and an examination of themselves in theater."
Neither Wilson nor his work was universally beloved. Some critics were repelled by what they called the monotony of his themes and the plays' unrestrained dialogue. He replied: "My plays are talky; I say shut up and listen. They are about black men talking, and in American society you don't too often have that because the feeling is: 'What do black men have to say?' "
Wilson had sharp exchanges with his detractors. The most notable was with Robert Brustein, a former drama critic and director of the Yale Repertory and American Repertory theaters.
After a year of jousting in print, they met at New York's Town Hall in 1997 for a debate titled "On Cultural Power." The most contentious issue was colorblind casting, which Brustein advocated on the grounds that anything else was racial separatism. Wilson disagreed.
He told the London Guardian in 2002: "Take an all-black 'Death of a Salesman' -- that's not the way black folks deal with their problems, it's not their language, it's not their relationship from father to son. We have a different history, different necessities. A guy can't go round and be a traveling salesman in the 1940s and be black. He'd get lynched. What is the point of putting black folks on stage as if they didn't have any stories of their own to tell?"
Wilson was born Frederick August Kittel on April 27, 1945. He was the fourth of six children and was raised in the black Hill district of Pittsburgh. His father, a white German immigrant baker, was an angry and sporadic presence.
His mother, who was black, supported the children with janitorial jobs and welfare. She divorced Wilson's father to marry David Bedford, who served as a template for many Wilson patriarchs: a former athlete who serves a jail sentence and becomes a community figure while working as a menial laborer.
At school, Wilson had little break from the miseries of home. Racist slurs were left on his desk at a Catholic school; he grew bored when he transferred to a vocational school; and in what he regarded as the final humiliation, a black teacher in ninth grade accused him of plagiarism for his paper about Napoleon.
"The fact that he was a self-made man, that he was a lieutenant in the army and became the emperor, I liked that," Wilson told the New Yorker magazine in 2001.
At 15, Wilson quit high school and sought his own education at the local library's "Negro" section, where he devoured books by Ralph Ellison, Richard Wright and Langston Hughes. Those authors and the emerging Black Power movement of the 1960s were "the kiln in which I was fired," he later said.
After leaving school, Wilson joined the Army but left after being irritated by its regulations.
He worked as a short-order cook and dishwasher while trying to write poems, usually with little success. His first published poem, an ode to boxer Muhammad Ali, ran in Black World magazine in 1969. With friends, he started a theater group that mostly consisted of poetry readings to the beat of conga and bongo drums.
He was seen as an eccentric around the Hill, wearing a coat and tie, smoking a pipe and affecting an accent in honor of Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet he admired. He found other heroes over the years, including Bessie Smith, whose blues records he called "the best literature we have," and painter Romare Bearden, whose work presented black life "on its own terms" and "ennobled it, affirmed its value and exalted its presence," Wilson said.
On the page, those goals failed him at first. He tried writing a play, getting so far as the first line: "Hey man, what's happening?" The second line was, "Nothing."
In 1978, he moved to St. Paul on the advice of a theater friend. To be away from Pittsburgh's black neighborhoods gave him the clarity of distance to hear the cadences of his home town. He wrote what would become the first play in his cycle, "Jitney," about gypsy cabdrivers in the Hill neighborhood. The work was produced in Pittsburgh.
Seeking wider recognition, he submitted works to the National Playwrights Conference at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, Conn. Lloyd Richards, then artistic director of the conference, singled out Wilson's draft of "Ma Rainey" in 1982 and they worked together to refine the play. Richards directed his subsequent plays at Yale and on Broadway up through "Seven Guitars" (1996), a tragedy about a dead blues guitarist and his mourning friends.
Wilson's other plays included "Joe Turner's Come and Gone" (1988), about a boardinghouse and its ghosts; "Two Trains Running" (1992), about a historic neighborhood diner that faces redevelopment; "King Hedley II" (2001), about an ex-con who tries to find work under unforgiving circumstances; and "Gem of the Ocean" (2004), set at the turn of the last century, about a mystical and ancient woman named Aunt Esther who can wash souls.
Shortly before his death, he completed a play called "Radio Golf," set in the Hill district in 1997.
Wilson's works were popular and regularly produced in Washington. In the past five years, "Two Trains Running" and "King Hedley II" were staged at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and "Ma Rainey'' was performed at Arena Stage. Each play drew unusually high numbers of African Americans to those venues, observers said.
Regarded as the most prominent black playwright on Broadway since Lorraine Hansberry, author of "A Raisin in the Sun" (1959), Wilson was more often compared to Eugene O'Neill or Shakespeare for his scope. Later in his career, he told a reporter that his play cycle was coincidental until one day in the mid-1980s, when he asked himself, "Why don't I just continue to do that?"
His marriages to Brenda Burton and Judy Oliver ended in divorce.
Survivors include his third wife, costume designer Constanza Romero, whom he married in 1994; a daughter from his first marriage; and a daughter from his third marriage.
Wilson considered most activities other than playwriting a waste of time, including studying or watching other plays. "I haven't read many plays," he once said. "I don't go to many plays, so I don't have all that in my head about what does or doesn't make a play. I come up with my own idea of what it is, since I'm not sure even what the definitions mean."
Posted by Rashid on at 6:58 AM | Comments (1)
Dwayne Wayne II
I talked to him for like an hour tonight. I had already spoken to my girl Attractive (TM) for two and a half hours this morning! And a few other friends for extended periods, too.
Dwayne Wayne and I have our ups and downs. But I guess I am committed to trying to be mature and right and wise and helpful and all that. I really do love him. I worry about him, though. I like him a lot. But he also knows how to make me dislike him. He doesn't mean it...but it's there. He don't abuse me or nothing, lol. But it's like....he's very unyielding from time to time.
But, I like him regardless.
We experienced absolutely none of that tonight. I am trying my best to understand him, and it's working.
I don't read his blog anymore. I gave it up after a falling out we had (that obviously affected me more than it did him). But I knew that if I was ever going to be able to have the friendship and intimacy that we once had, I couldn't read his blog. Tough to describe...but I know that the DW that he writes about isn't a complete picture of the DW I know.
I guess that's tough for me to take, because the Dwayne Wayne I know really is a beautiful person. Maybe I'm romanticizing him too much....he's still young, still has a lot of growing to do.
He's not the one. But I do respect him.
Posted by Rashid on October 2, 2005 at 9:07 PM
What Would They Be?
In this edition of "What Would They Be?" I post fictional characters from Days of Our Lives and then tell you which fraternity or sorority they would pledge.
Alphas
Jack Devereaux
Lucas Roberts
TEK (Thomas Edward Kramer)
Tony DiMera
Frankie Brady
AKAs
Marlena Evans Black
Belle Black Kiriakis
Lexie Carver
Kate Roberts
Kappas
John Black
Victor Kiriakis
Philip Kiriakis
Mickey Horton
Omegas
Roman Brady
Bo Brady
Shawn Douglas Brady
Abe Carver
Deltas
Jennifer Devereaux
Hope Williams Brady
Mimi Lockhart
Sigmas
Doug Williams
Shawn Brady
Zetas
Sami Brady
Julie Williams
Caroline Brady
Alice Horton
SGRhos
Celeste Perrault
Billie Reed
Maggie Horton
Nicole Walker
Iotas
Patrick Lockhart
Phi Mu Alpha
Brady Black
Sigma Alpha Iota
Chloe Lane
Posted by Rashid on at 7:27 AM | Comments (3)
MFA or Not?
Short Answer: NOT!
From Frederick Smith's Blog:
Saturday, October 01, 2005 M.F.A. or Not? Everyday I get one or two brochures or packages in the mail, encouraging me to think about considering applying to Master of Fine Arts (M.F.A) programs in Creative Writing or English. There are all sorts of programs. Full time. Part time. Low residency. Oh my.Having interacted with authors and writers of all levels of education and experience, I have heard about the benefits and challenges that are associated with pursuing a higher degree and level of study in writing. What I hear is compelling. Very briefly (there's more):
Benefits -- craft develops more than you ever imagined; professional/personal connections; leaving with a completed piece that is considered high quality
Challenges -- uniformity (style and people); cliques; can something creative be taught?Back when I thought I wanted to pursue education (after the journalism thing), I went to graduate school for it and finished. Now that writing is what I see on the horizon as a long-term career, I'm wondering.
What are your thoughts on M.F.A. or not?
I have seen both sides of the fence, I'd like to think, having been enrolled in an MFA program myself.
As most of you know, I am proud to call myself a grad school dropout, along the same lines as Kanye West is a "College Dropout."
I enrolled in the graduate program in Creative Writing at [Like y'all don't really know where] University at the right time and the right place. It was just the wroooooongest school I could have ever chosen. The creative writing faculty was lily-white, as was the Literature faculty on the whole, except for one guy who was actually a great teacher, but as all young PhDs seem to be, he taught like he had something to prove. Hey, love the guy, but I just thought he was unnecessarily...ah, what's the word? The opposite of plainspoken.
So reason #1 (in no order) for dropping out: I couldn't see myself taking literature courses from this man (the only one teaching black literature) the WHOLE time I would be enrolled there.
Reason #2: Because of a relatively low undergrad GPA and a lack of funds at the school (probably because the president was spending it all) there was absolutely NO scholarship money available to me. That, alone, was not the biggest problem...but...
Reason #3: I believe that the program was dishonest about my ability to "earn" merit-based aid after a year there. I was under the impression that if I could earn a certain GPA and maintain it, then I could reapply for aid. NO SUCH LUCK.
Reason #4: Administrative incompetence.... from the Dean's Office to the Creative Writing Program itself....nobody knew what the FUCK was going on!
Reason #5: My Advisor retired. :-( He was cool as hell! Had a Pulitzer and everything. My interim advisor was wiggedy wack. My "new" advisor's mom died in the first month of school of my second year, and I refused to burden him with my problems. So basically I had no one REALLY advocating for me.
Reason #6: Maya died the summer after my first year -- that REALLY put everything in perspective. I was depressed and literally fearful of leaving the house sometimes. Damn anxiety.
Reason #7: The school was SERIOUSLY interfering with my ability to query agents.
Reason #8: I never trusted the faculty and my peers enough with my fiction, instead focusing on poetry -- even further taking me away from LAZARUS.
Reason #9: Okay, this is not actually a reason why I left, but I just wanted to put it out there....there was a REALLY meddlesome black lesbian in the program who was FOREVER in my business and ALWAYS trying to "hook me up" with people, including an obviously straight classmate of mine. Ugh.
Reason #10: I felt that the requirements were STUPID and weren't really helpful to my craft.
Reason #11: This particular program took longer than two years to complete, which I felt was ridiculous.
So, you might ask why I chose this program in the first place.
1. Not extraordinarily competitive.
2. Not difficult to commute to.
3. Small campus -- didn't want to go to a huge state school.
4. Wasn't ready to move to a new city and strike out on my own and be DIRT POOR.
5. It felt right.
But clearly, after a year and a summer, it not only stopped feeling right, it was actually taking away from my writing and me doing what i needed to do when it came to LAZARUS. And DAMN this was back in 02-03. Sometimes I feel like LAZARUS could have come out in 04 and we'd be on COVENANT by now, if not for that school.
But you know what? If not for that school, I wouldn't have had contacts with some really great people, who, were all undergrads when I met them, LOL. Don't get me wrong, my classmates were okay people, but I sorta knew where their heads were at when I "disappeared" and NOT A ONE of them tried to contact me to see if I was dead or alive.
LOL...fuckers.
So anyway....my actual advice, and I do have some.
Realize that many, if not most people in MFA programs already have some sort of career. Seeking an MFA is what they are doing to force themselves to have time to write. YOU CAN DO THIS ON YOUR OWN. Don't pay a school MONEY to do this.
Now, if you get a scholarship, GO! But if you already have written a book, DON'T GO! The bamas in these programs want to be where YOU are! That's like going back to high school to take electives -- read a book instead.
I think I was too young for an MFA program. I liked the undergrads a lot better than my grad classmates. I liked the work, even though it was hard, but my mind was often focused on other things, whether it was my own writing, pursuing Alpha, BEING an Alpha, or Maya's death and planning her Homecoming memorial.
I thought about what Maya would have done...or what she might have said about what I was doing. And while Maya doesn't strike me as a quitter, I knew she'd not want me to be miserable. And miserable the hell I was.
MFA's are cool degrees. You will basically graduate with a book length manuscript that has been workshopped a lot. That's what many folks out here NEED. But there are ways to do that without the degree.
Oh yeah...one last thing...the MFA in 2005 (in my opinion) doesn't adequately or competitively credential you to do anything professionally. It is a terminal degree that you can't generally use as a prerequisite to a PhD program, unless that program has an extensive writing component (and some do).
None of this is meant to shit on MFA recipients (hi Karamale!) because they chose their way and I chose mine after having tasted their way. It wasn't for me...and hey, I have a book. *shrug*
So, whatever.....a little education isn't a bad thing, but do it for the right reasons and do it on THEIR dime, not yours.
Posted by Rashid on October 1, 2005 at 8:03 PM | Comments (0)
Million Dollar Baby and dealing with just being friends, or not
I finally saw Million Dollar Baby....it was really good! I usually don't like the films that win Academy Awards, but this one was really worth it. Plus, Anthony Mackie was in it. He was REALLY good -- and different from his role in Brother to Brother. I'm going to need him to continue acting forever.
People have been asking if I am okay. I am FINE. Romantically, nothing is there and I am cool with that.
HIM is talking to somebody. Why he felt the need to tell me that, I don't know. I don't feel like we're on that level yet where I feel like hearing about those things. I don't even really read his blog regularly. That's my new thing...NOT reading things where I know there is a high likelihood of reading something which will piss me off somehow. Maybe not now, maybe not next week, but eventually.
I asked the last dude (who never did get a codename, did he?) to remove references to me from his blog because he used my real name and had details about our date. I wasn't comfortable with that at first, but because I was flattered, I let it stand. But realizing that people could google it....I became increasingly uncomfortable. And finally, I asked him to edit it.
This little motherfucker then tells me he "philosophy" about his blog, how he doesn't keep it to go back and edit it. Stream of concsciousness and all that bullshit. And I am like I understand that....but blogs are PUBLIC. Ain't NOBODY stopping you from keeping a diary with a pen and paper. So he finally decided to edit my name out (which, since I don't go to his blog anymore, i will never know if he did). But what pissed me off the most was that he even debated it in the first place. I mean shit, isn't that a no-brainer? DON'T put my business on your blog, and if so, have the courtesy to use an alias and as little identifying information as possible.
So, I told him this, then told him that I basically couldn't deal with being his "friend." (See "No We Can't Be Cool")
It's funny how people basically say things to the one they DON'T like or want or love in order to make themselves feel better about hurting someone's feelings.
For instance, when it was quite apparent that HIM just wanted to be friends....well I told him I didn't know how to be his friend and I wasn't so sure that was what I wanted anyway. I mean....it seemed to me that being "just friends" would do more to ease his conscious than it would to ease my mental well-being. So of course, I rey to err on the side of mental well-being more than phony friendships. I mean shit, this is my life here. I don't live for other people just so they will feel better about breaking my heart.
The most recent dude wanted the same thing....and I was just like you know what, fuck it. Don't really need new friends, you know?
Plus, I really do feel like he fetishized my blackness. I really really do.
As for HIM....we're cool. I don't really know why, but we are. I don't mind him talking about his social life, but I'd rather be eased into it. Yes, I am the type of person who needs a conversation about having conversations. I need him to ask me if it's cool that we talk about our social lives with each other. I'd sorta rather not talk about mine with him. Maybe I will one day....but not today.
I'm selfish. But I have to be now.
Ahhhh....maybe one day I won't be so neurotic about these things.
Posted by Rashid on at 10:55 AM