We're in the San Francisco Chronicle Too- Museum of Racist Memorabilia

I got a call from the San Francisco Chronicle on my way out the door to water aerobics.

*BEGIN OFF TOPIC* My instructor is crazed. She thought it would be "cute" to have us basically tread water for 15 minutes. "Now try doing it without touching the bottom of the pool! You can do it!" Yes I can, but will I be able to walk tomorrow is the pertinent question. We did jumping jacks, cross country skiing, rode an imaginary bicycle forward and backwards, cheerleader kicks and many other things that should only be attempted by members of the US OLYMPIC Synchronized Swimming Team. Water aerobics is not supposed to hurt once you leave the pool. I just thought I would share my pain with others ;( *END OFF TOPIC*

The Chronicle was getting my opinion on Michelle Obama and the New Yorker debacle.

A few weeks ago, McCauley started a Michelle Obama Watch blog to monitor media images and portrayals of the potential first lady. "We're in new ground here with how we deal with two African Americans running for the White House. It will test white liberals in ways that they never have been before. And it will test African Americans, too." Obama will be scrutinized during the campaign, as will African Americans by extension, she said. "It's a process we have to go through, as a country." San Francisco Chronicle

The "theme" of my interview is that I am so tired of Liberals acting as if they don't understand why Black people would be offended by caricatures. Somehow they should be exempt, but the conservatives should be raked over the coals because somehow conservatives are inherently racist and liberals are immune.

You can print whatever you want to but don't feign ignorance. There is a LOOOOONG history of cartoons being used as an powerful weapon to the system of racial oppresion in this country. Any time you dabble in cartooning Black people, you should do so being aware of that history.

I highly recommend that the entire staff of the New Yorker or any other Liberal Elite media outlets that decide to dabble in racial stereotypes take a gander over at the Museum of Racist Memorabilia for something we like to call historical CONTEXT. Black folks aren't just pulling this outrage out of the air. Jim Crow only ended about 40 years ago. Here is a list of the pages of information offered by the museum which is located at Ferris State University and I encourage reporters to call them and talk to someone who can provide some historical context. THAT WOULD BE YOU MR. NEW YORKER EDITOR!!!

Selected Videos	JCM Fundraising Video
Why I Collect Racist Objects	Future Home of the JCM
Our Values	Our Vision
About the Museum	FAQ
Who Was Jim Crow?	What Was Jim Crow?
Related Links Other Information	Jezebel Stereotype
Brute Caricature	Mammy Caricature
Picaninny Caricature	Coon Caricature
Tom Caricature	The Tragic Mulatto
Nigger and Caricatures	Golliwog Caricature
Racist Cartoons	New Racist Forms
JCM Virtual Tour	Nat Caricature
Buy the Award-Winning DVD	Brothers, and Other Essays

What About Our Daughters has received credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We are asking for your support in making sure that the voices, stories, and perspectives of African American women and girls are woven into the fabric of this historic event!Please consider donating by clicking our donate button in the sidebar.

We're on CNN.com's Anderson 360 Blog

The Anderson 360 blog picked up our post about the whole Michelle Obama New Yorker tomfoolery and chicanery.

Don't forget to register for Blogging While Brown. Can you believe it is only two weeks away.


What About Our Daughters has received credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We are asking for your support in making sure that the voices, stories, and perspectives of African American women and girls are woven into the fabric of this historic event!Please consider donating by clicking our donate button in the sidebar.

"Liberals" Strike Again: New Yorker Cover Depicts Michelle Obama as a Terrorist

Oh yes folks, Liberal creatives are having a field day this election season with their depictions of Michelle Obama. Proving that you can revel in racist depictions of Black people as long as you have a really good reason.

We previously showed you a "satirical" piece where Michelle was depicted being lynched by the Klan( Michelle Obama Depicted Being Tortured: Liberal Bloggers Lose Their Ever Loving Minds)

Now they are back at it depicting her as a terrorist rocking an afro and a machine gun. Barack Obama offered his standard response: None at all. (the campaign later issued a statement after his initial non committal response)I am beginning to see the wisdom of his silence, this is going to go on and on and on for the next five months he might as well save up for October:

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton called it "tasteless and offensive" and, according to Jake Tapper at ABC, another high-profile Obama supporter called it "as offensive a caricature as any magazine could publish." Huffington Post.

Nope, I think the lynching depiction is about as offensive a caricature as any magazine could publish. It is going to be a LOOOOONG, HOT, SUMMER! IF this was on the cover of National Review people would be howling at the moon.


Bernie Mac, the New Yorker just saved your life. Bumped you right off of page B

What About Our Daughters has received credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We are asking for your support in making sure that the voices, stories, and perspectives of African American women and girls are woven into the fabric of this historic event!Please consider donating by clicking our donate button in the sidebar.

I Won't Be Covering the Republican National Convention, But You Could Win an ALL EXPENSE PAID TRIP TO DENVER!!

As, y'all know, this blog is nonpartisan. We don't endorse and we don't hold racial loyalty litmus tests around here based on who you choose to vote for. Plus, I know I have a ton of readers from every political party or no party identification at all. Black women need to have a seat at the table no matter which party is in power. So, I applied for credentials to the Republican National Convention at the same time that I applied to the DNCC.

I'm sorry to all of my Republican readers who have been emailing me asking me to cover the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, but I was not granted credentials :(

Dear Special Press Credential Applicant:

Thank you for applying for credentials to cover the 2008 Republican National Convention. We appreciate your interest in covering this historic event.

Unfortunately, due to the overwhelming interest in covering our convention, we are unable to accommodate your request for Special Press Credentials.

We hope you choose to follow our proceedings through other means, including our live-stream at www.GOPConvention2008.com.

Sincerely,

Special Press Credentials Office

2008 Republican National Convention

I tried y'all. But alas, twas not meant to be . So don't email me about a lack of coverage, you can go to www.GOPConvention2008.com to watch the live stream, I know I will be. I am sure some other Black bloggers who don't run a website called Michelle Obama Watch will be there. BWAHAHAHA! I'll be sure to let you know who they are because for all the talk about protesters at the DNCC, the platform fight at the Republican National Convention is lining up to be off the chain.

But seriously, I am one of those people who will be watching the conventions on every night regardless. I'm a political junkie. Political conventions are like the Olympics for political junkies. Doesn't matter which party, we just enjoy watching the sport being played. This only happens once every four years and even if it is a large production of the political parties, it is still an important part of our political process and we should all know more than ever that elections have consequences.

With gas approaching $7 a gallon, the stock market looking as if it is about to head sub 10,000, foreclosures headed up and last I heard, one dollar was worth 2/3 of a Euro ( the last time I was in Europe I want to say 1 Euro was like $0.95), who we select to be our next president is a very important decision. So whatever your choice, let it be an informed and wise choice because I might have to break out a bicycle if gas prices go as high as is being predicted... and did I mention that we have not made it through hurricane season yet?

But on another note.... I'LL BE DENVER!!!! On the same day that the Republicans gave us "THE HAND, " the Democrats, announced that Barack Obama will be giving his acceptance speech at INVESCO Field in front of about 75,000 people. It is the first outdoor acceptance since JFK in 1960. The speech will be given on the 40th anniversary of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech and each and every one of you will have a ring side seat... hopefully, I haven't heard how this will affect press logistics, but wherever I am, YOU ARE!

If you want to enter a lottery to get inside of INVESCO Field, you can enter for $5. The Obama campaign will select 10 people who contribute at least $5 to the campaign between now and July 31, 2008. They are going to fly you and a guest to Denver AND you get to meet Barack Obama backstage.

At the Democratic National Convention next month, Barack will deliver his acceptance speech in front of 75,000 people at a free, open event in Denver, Colorado.

Make a donation of $5 or more between now and midnight on July 31st, and you could be one of 10 supporters chosen to meet Barack backstage and watch his acceptance speech in person.

Each of the 10 selected supporters can bring a guest, and will be flown to Denver to spend two days at the convention, culminating in Barack's speech on Thursday, August 28th. Barack Obama.com

Now that right there is a heck of a deal for $5. $2.50 per plane ticket. I am assuming they are throwing in hotel as well because hotel room rates are a MILE HIGH in the Mile High city and I got what is supposed to be a "deal" through the housing block. Let me know if one of y'all is chosen. I can be your "guest" and save a grip on airfare. Let them know WAOD sent you!

I am also happy to announce that we will be bringing a photographer with us to Denver as photography not one of my strong points. Keep hitting that PayPal button!


What About Our Daughters has received credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We are asking for your support in making sure that the voices, stories, and perspectives of African American women and girls are woven into the fabric of this historic event!Please consider donating by clicking our donate button in the sidebar.

WAOD In the News: R. Kelly, Michlle Obama Watch, and We're Internationally Known!

Well, I have been so swamped, I haven't been able to keep you abreast of the latest blog related developments.

Blogging While Brown
For those attending Blogging While Brown, the discounted hotel rates end on June 24th. Even if you haven't registered, you might want to reserve the hotel and your flight.

WAOD/ Michelle Obama Watch in the News

Newsweek
One Friday Allison Samuels wrote a piece on R. Kelly asking why so many Black women were supportive of Chester. I was a bit taken aback that she indicated that many readers of THIS blog were voicing support for R. Kelly:

African-American blogs such as Young, Black and Fabulous, What About Our Daughters and Essence quickly filled up with letters from women exclaiming their joy over Kelly's freedom.

Thanks for the link Allison, but I don't think that reflected the overall sentiments expressed in the comments section of our R. Kelly open thread. The quotes I supplied in the post were from ESSENCE.com featuring comments supporting R. Kelly. The foolishness occurred over there at ESSENCE.com, not here. I don't recall anybody here expressing joy. But that is neither here nor there. The article near the end made clear that IIIII didn't support Chester, so I didn't parse details.

That may be beginning to change. The site What About Our Daughters posted a strongly worded petition this week urging black men to stand up for black women and to stop supporting anyone who exploits their daughters, sisters and wives (the site is run by women, but the petition was written by a man). "I would have to say," the site points out, "that during this entire R. Kelly ordeal, it was Black women and not Black men who acted the most disturbing in their defense of R. Kelly."

You bet things are beginning to change. Black women are giving up sacrificial lamb duty and we no longer have to rely on mainstream media and the Black Elite Establishment to have a voice.

The Guardian
I wrote something for The Guardian about Michelle Obama's "makeover." It was called "Michelle Obama's makeover:The media is transforming Michelle Obama from a classy, accomplished woman into a cookie-baking robo-wife".

I had a lot of fun with it and the editor let me be me. For those of you who miss my fabled rants, I think you will enjoy the piece I did for The Guardian. Feel free to join in on the discussion in the comments section over there.


Michelle Obama Watch
Michelle Obama Watch has been all over the news and new offers of assistance roll in everyday. Salon did a piece on us when we were less than 24 hours old. We got a mention in the Wall Street Journal on our second day online. and Howard Kurtz of the Washington Post also mentioned us.

In other words, I have been swamped and am exhausted. Thanks to all of the contributors over at MOW. I really didn't do anything to promote the site other than post about it on this blog and it is kind of taking on a life of its own. We're still getting our sea legs but it should be an interesting summer or an unmitigated disaster.


Don't forget I am still covering the Democratic National Convention in August. I also applied for credentials to the Republican convention, but I haven't heard a peep yet. Help me get there by hitting up the PayPal button in the sidebar or the banner at the top of the page. It doesn't matter whether is is $5 or $50, every little bit helps. Thanks in advance for your support.

Is this Funny to You? Gun Toting Michelle Obama

They are SO OBVIOUS in wanting our attention over at 23/6


From the Huffington Post's parody site, 23/6. Oh there's more! They have photoshopped her on the cover of the Advocate announcing that she "experimented" in college, on the cover of Cosmo offering sex tips, Golf Digesst magazine saying "Hey Whiteys' View the rest. Oh this is SURE to go over well. Um when is this election over again? Do you think I can get accepted to some kind of foreign exchange program on another continent so I don't have to watch all of the foolishness between now and November? A clear cry for attention. They are about to get all they can handle.

Cross-Posted by Gina at Michelle Obama Watch. Comment over there.

What About Our Daughters has received credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We are asking for your support in making sure that the voices, stories, and perspectives of African American women and girls are woven into the fabric of this historic event!Please consider donating by clicking our donate button in the sidebar.

Fox News Calls Michelle Obama "Obama's Baby Mama"

Folks, this is the reason I decided to go live with Michelle Obama Watch before we were really ready, but the Michelle Obama complaints have been rolling in like rushing water this week so I said "Hey, you have to speed it up."
Via Daily Kos and Salon... Fox News ran a graphic today referring to Michelle Obama as "Obama's Baby Mama."



Comment over at Michelle Obama Watch. We have two new contributors to MOW already. We'll be accepting more as they come in. Read the rules and then post away.


What About Our Daughters has received credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We are asking for your support in making sure that the voices, stories, and perspectives of African American women and girls are woven into the fabric of this historic event!Please consider donating by clicking our donate button in the sidebar.

Michelle Obama Watch Goes Live!

The site is not ready yet, but the complaints about the treatment/ depiction of Michelle Obama keep coming in fast and furious. So we are going to go ahead and go live because I can't keep up. Nor do I intend to. I've got a conference to plan.

Michelle Obama Watch is now accepting volunteer contributors. What does that mean? It means that when you see a story or post(s) about Michelle Obama, you log in to the blog and put a brief writeup, a photo, and the relevant links. That's it. You can do it once a day, but you must be willing to chip in at least once a week.

Michelle Obama Watch will become a repository of all of the criticism, praise, and general chicanery thrown at Michelle Obama between now and November. If Barack wins... well we'll cross that bridge when we get to it, but for right now, we are looking at a 5 month obligation. If it has anything to do with Michelle, it will be on Michelle Obama Watch.

If you have not done a google news search on Michelle, she is everywhere right now. So here are some of the ground rules.

1. No electioneering. This site is about the treatment and depiction of Michelle Obama. It is nonpartisan... really a-partisan. Barack has a entire staff of people and $100 million dollars or so to help get him in the White House. This is about Michelle and the media.

2. All posts need to be 150 words or less. This is a news blog, not an analysis blog. If you want to analyze what the media is doing, then feel free to put up a cross link to a longer post on your own blog. This will be strictly enforced. Long-windedness will get you yanked. If you want an example of how much you can do with a few words, go to tvnewser.com.

3. No attacks. Again, just give folks the who, what, when, where, why, and how. I don't have time to try to moderate posts and I will not be answerable for what you say. Again, once you give people the info, feel free to cross link to your own blog post where you let loose.

4. You will need your own image hosting site. If you post images, do not link to an image on another site. That is rude. It takes up their bandwidth and typically ticks them off. You will need to register for one of the free photo sharing sites, flickr and photobucket are popular. I prefer photobucket. Any photos you use will need to be hosted there. You don't need to use photos however, if you do, you need to upload them to your own image hosting site.

5. No you do not have to be a blogger, but you will need to be able to navigate your way around Wordpress. It isn't complicated, but iI will not be doing any technical assistance or hand holding. NONE! I don't have time. Do not send me a single "Gina how do I...." post. Again, do what I did and teach yourself.

6. Give credit to your sources, in particular other blogs. Not only is this good net manners, but it also promotes the blogs when other people see that MOW is linking to their site.

7. Posting, even fifteen times a day, does not grant you any ownership interest in MOW. This is voluntary. You will not get paid. At anytime the site owner ( ie the benevolent dictator) can go in a completely opposite direction and change things up. Again, you can use the site as an opportunity to grow your blog through cross posting and you can feel warm and fuzzy inside for dong good work. That is your only reward.

8. No plagiarism. If you can't come up with 150 original words, then don't post. Be brief and then get the heck out.

9. Don't duplicate. Read before you post. If someone else on the blog covered it already, then leave a comment in the thread. This is your incentive to race to post before someone else scoops you.

10. You are relatively on your own. I don't have time to handhold. If you don't know what your posts should look like, again, tvnewser.com is a pretty good guide. That way we can have a dozen posts a day without the one post taking up the entire page.

11. Link liberally, the more you like to other blogs, the better.

12. The benevolent dictator (that would be me) reserves the right to revise, revoke, alter, expand, change, transform, evolve this list of guidelines at any time, for any reason.


So I have created the site. It is still under construction and I have to add additional widgets and do some fiddling. I thought I would launch this weekend, but y'all are bombarding me with tips so we might as well get started with the posts.

If you would like to be a contributor you can email me at the gmail address in the sidebar and place MICHELLE OBAMA WATCH in the subject line. You will receive more detailed instructions on how to tag and categorize your posts as well as how to make thumbnails appear in the template. Please follow instructions. LET'S DO THIS!


What About Our Daughters has received credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We are asking for your support in making sure that the voices, stories, and perspectives of African American women and girls are woven into the fabric of this historic event!Please consider donating by clicking our donate button in the sidebar.

Michelle Obama and Barack Resign Church: Rev. A. Larm Clock Sr. Responds

Michelle, the weeMichelle's and Barack have resigned from Trinity United Church, and I can say I blame them all that much for doing it after the comments from the pulpit over the past week:

The resignation comes days after the Rev. Michael Pfleger, a visiting Catholic priest, mocked Obama's Democratic rival during a sermon at Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, Illinois.In the video, Pfleger wipes his eyes with a handkerchief and suggests that Sen. Hillary Clinton wept because she thought that as a white person and the wife of a former president, she was entitled to the presidency."And then, out of nowhere, came 'Hey, I'm Barack Obama,' " Pfleger said "And [Clinton] said, 'Oh, damn, where did you come from? I'm white! I'm entitled! There's a black man stealing my show!' " cnn.com

If I was held responsible for every word that came out of someone else's mouth and they continued to say stuff that kept me constantly embroiled in controversy, I'd bounce too.

Barack Obama has resigned his 20 year membership in the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago in the aftermath of inflammatory remarks by his longtime pastor the Rev. Jeremiah Wright and more recent fiery remarks at the church by another minister. MSNBC

Monroe Anderson passed on the story to reporters according to Roland Martin.

Not only that, but the members of the church have been catching Hell ( pardon the pun) as well. This is America, people have the right to worship or not worship the God or Goddess of their choice without their congregation being descended upon by outsiders taking notes.

My pastor, the Rev. Dr. A. Larm Clock Sr., just sent me an email extending an invitation for Michelle the weeMichelle's and Barack to join us each Sunday at Bedside Baptist Church. Bedside Baptist is the first church in the country to have an award winning distance education Sunday School program. Just kidding Mama, I will be at 8:00 service bright and early tmr!

DISCLAIMER: The views expressed by Rev. A. Larm Clock, Sr. are not necessarily my own or the Lord Almighty's for that matter.

In addition to the Democrats finally reserving the Florida and Michigan Delegate situation, they are going halfsies and awarding each delegate from those states a half vote. I haven't had time to digest the numbers yet.

What About Our Daughters has received credentials to cover the 2008 Democratic National Convention. We are asking for your support in making sure that the voices, stories, and perspectives of African American women and girls are woven into the fabric of this historic event!Please consider donating by clicking our donate button in the sidebar.

Michelle Obama Depicted Being Tortured: Liberal Bloggers Lose Their Ever Loving Minds

UPDATE(5/25): The creator of this foolishness has responded to critics. If you thought this image was a demonstration of his absolute ignorance, wait until you read his response to criticism.

What was going to your mind when you imagined a Michelle Obama being hung from a tree right before being branded with a hot branding iron that reads "Uppity Liberal?" How did you fix your mind to convince yourself that putting this image up was a smart or persuasive thing to do
No your eyes are not deceiving you, that is Michelle Obama's photoshopped face in that photo. A DailyKos diarist named ONECITIZEN created this. I get the point they were trying to make, Michelle Obama is being criticized by the GOP for numerous things, but really what was going to your mind when you imagined Michelle Obama being tortured by the Klan? SECURITY CALLING SECURITY! To be clear, REPUBLICANS did not create this,a liberal "progressive" blogger created this foolishness.

You can see the original screen capture from Dailykos by going here. It has since been taken down by the site's owner, but not before 155 people commented on the lunacy.

Barack Obama finally stepped up and told folks to leave his wife alone this week, about three months after the "proud of my country" flap where I quite frankly didn't think he defended her enough. In fact, I think he kind of left her hanging OUT THERE.
To recap, this is what Michelle said


Here is Michelle explaining her comments in further detail

First we have Bill O' Reilly trying to "decide" if he is going to "lynch" Michelle. Now this foolishness.

Dear liberal "progressive" bloggers, you don't have to create fictionalized depictions of Black women being tortured. How about you spend some time talking about the Black women in this country that are ACTUALLY being tortured. Not in Africa or Asia, or South America, but right here in THIS country. Romona Moore, Ebony Dorsey, Daniyah Jackson, Dunbar Village, and Dorothy Dixon among many others.

I have the feeling we'll have our hands full just covering Michelle Obama incidents just like this Dailykos foolishness all summer long.

Hat Tip to WAOD Reader RB who never fails to raise my blood pressure with her email tips.