Fully Employed

Well, I know it's been some time. I am pleased to report that I am now fully employed at Urban Ivy. Previously I had been been in that limbo-land called temp status. I was extremely grateful for the arrangement, however. When I first started, I could hardly handle a full time work schedule or responsibilities.
I have been in my new position since last Tuesday. I am absolutely excited about the new opportunity. There are a host of responsibilities-- some drawing on previous experience and some exciting opportunities to learn and grow. Of course, I am already impatient to know everything that's going on in my new office, but I am giving myself 60 days to get up to speed. There is a whole round of training/orientation sessions I must attend, and I am also doing some refreshers just to sharpen my skills. By the end of summer and the arrival of students, I expect to be running quite smoothly.
Tomorrow morning is my first orientation session. I'll be get a new hire overview and the opportunity to sign up for my employee benefits. I get all choked up just thinking about having health insurance again. I can breathe again. And I'm so excited about reactivating my IRA contributions, I can't even tell you. So I'll keep you posted. But, so far, so good!

Nappy Headed Hoes?!?!

You know it really does boggle the mind that it is still so very easy to degrade and disrespect African American women. It happens so often in our culture that it takes a shock, an outside voice to stir the attention of the public.
Right now I am listening to Al Sharpton online prepare to interview Don Imus. I am waiting to read or hear that the NCAA, perhaps Pat Summit and the University of Tennessee, hell Laura Bush, Oprah Winfrey, the NBA, the WNBA have all comedown like a ton of bricks on Don Imus.
I don't listen to Don Imus' radio show, I've seen snippets of his show on MSNBC...that's the extent of my exposure to his 'humor.' But I am aware he has called black athletes "jigaboos" in the past and "apologized" for his 'inadvertent' offense. His actions are neither unprecedented or innocent. And I am waiting for the nation to come to the defense of these young women so that I can finally believe that folks give a damn about black women.
I read that Harvard is holding a mock court of the Dred Scott case, so it seems timely to ask...Do black women have any dignity that American culture feels responsible to respect?