"I Am Woman" - Helen Reddy

Good afternoon peeps!! I am a child of the sixties; a time of many defining moments in our country's historical framework. The assassinations of: President John F Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Malcolm X, Robert Kennedy. The beginning of the end of segregation and institutional discrimination; the enactment of civil rights legislation and the deaths of civil rights activists of all nationalities. It was a time of  The Black Panthers out of Oakland, CA. The Young Lords out of New York City, and many, many other movements. One particular movement was geared towards women and was labeled, The Women's Liberation Movement. At the time, women were fighting for equality in all areas of  life and were establishing themselves as equally able as men, to do certain jobs, make decisions and be more than just a man's appendage. Now, I ask you...what the hell happened???

In recent years, there have been a plethora of  so-call "reality shows" that seems to have set women back to the pre-liberation movement days!!! The women on these shows act like desperate shrews, who will cut each other's throats to get the prized man! On one such show, the prize was, get this; Flava Flave!! The young women would fight, spit, and act ignorant as all get out to be picked to date Flava. Oh I am not so naive to not realize that their real goal is that proverbial "fifteen minutes", as some actually went on to star on their own "reality" shows. And yes, men have appeared on these types of shows also, supposedly looking for love, wives, etc. Somehow, the women on these shows appear more desperate!

The show The Bachelor, is what motivated me to write this piece. It debuted it's new season last night, for the thirteenth year...wow! I am not a viewer of this show ordinarily, but based on a conversation I heard on a morning talk show, I decided to see what they were talking about this time around, so I watched the episode on Hulu. I already knew the premise: an eligible bachelor gets to pick a potential wife out of a harem of twenty-five women. He gets to size them up the way a potential slave owner probably got to size up slaves, before purchasing them; or the way one sizes up a horse, dog or other animal they wish to own. How degrading! On the other hand, the women; all career women, seem so eager and happy to be there. Each one has dillusions of being "the one." We, the viewers, get to hear snippets of conversation from each woman; sometimes in isolation and sometimes as part of the larger group. The Bachelor gets to "spend time" with each woman, one-on-one. Sounds almost like the function of a brothel to me...but I digress. At the end of each show, The Bachelor decides who gets to stay and leave, by presenting or withholding a rose. As the women anxiously await their fate, the camera moves around panning their faces. Some look pained and pitiful, if each rose given is not for them.

It is at this point that I shake my head and ask myself why these attractive, seemingly intelligent young women, put themselves out there like this. Some appear in agony as their peers receive a rose and sigh a sigh of relief at being "a chosen one." When the final rose is given and they are not chosen, some of these young women react as if their world and reason for being has fallen apart! Even before the rose ceremony, some of the women go through extraordinary lengths to gain favor with the bachelor. One woman, knowing he is a pilot, donned a faux pilot costume. Another brought a toy plane from her seven-year-old son, to give to The Bachelor. (There is something wrong with this picture)! Usually, a token African-American woman or two is put into the mix, but not this time. The only woman of color is a Cambodian woman, who belittles herself by saying something sexually suggestive in her native language: "you can land your plane on my landing strip anytime" The Bachelor himself says equally corny things like, "as long as I let my heart lead, I know I can't go wrong" awwww! Am I a cynic you ask? Well, yes, I am. But I used to be a romantic too! Young ladies, get your self-esteem back and listen to Helen Reddy's anthem of the seventies, I Am Woman!

"I Write The Songs" - Barry Manilow

Good evening peeps!! Long time no see! How have you been, boo? Miss me? I miss you, cause I haven't written anything since New Year's Eve. The reality is that I had "Writer's Block" and was feeling uninspired. However, today I feel like writing about the singer-songwriters of the seventies. In my opinion, some of the finest songs I've ever listened to were written in the seventies, by singers who penned their own songs, as well as wrote for other artists. One of my favorite singer-songwriters of that era is Cat Stevens aka Yusuf Islam. He had a string of songs that were not only pretty to listen to, but told stories that touched the soul. "Wild World" comes to mind. In the song, he sings about his woman leaving to go out into "the wild world" as he cautions her to be careful: "but if you want to leave, take good care, hope you make a lot of nice friends out there, but just remember there's a lot of bad everywhere;" a gentle, not hostile warning, from a man that is obviously hurting over losing his love.

Another prolific writer of the seventies is Don Mclean, who wrote the enigmatic, metaphorical, speculative masterpiece, American Pie and Vincent. While Vincent is a straightforward ode to the artist, Vincent Van Gogh's famous painting; Starry Night (maybe metaphorical also?); American Pie created a stir by referencing multiple figures, including "The Father, Son and Holy Ghost." Some interpreted that as the religious trinity; whereas others felt he was talking about the three rock and rollers that died in a plane crash on February 3, 1959: Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Richie Valens. This song has produced more interpretations than The Beatles walking barefoot on the cover of their Abbey Road album. My son Shannon, who was five at the time, even offered his interpretation of the song as he tried to explain it to me; it was one of his favorite songs at five!

The seventies was also a time of  female singer-songwriters as well. Carole King, Laura Nyro, Ellie Greenwich, Joni Mitchell and Carley Simon come to mind. Carole King started writing in the nineteen fifties; writing some of the best lyrics for rhythm and blues artists like The Drifters. She later recorded her own compositions. Ellie Greenwich wrote some of the most memorable lyrics ever sung by female and male groups: "Da Do Run Run Run, Da Do Run Run" and "Doo Wah Diddy Diddy Dum Diddy Doo"

How can I not mention Neil Sedaka, Paul Anka,  Gamble and Huff, Holland Dozier Holland, Linda Creed, Thom Bell, Smokey Robinson, who was called "the world's greatest poet" by none other than Bob Dylan  and of course, the man who writes the songs himself; Barry Manilow! Oh how I could go on and on about these singer-songwriters and how much I miss this kind of music...but I won't! Thanks to YouTube, I have been able to hear my favorites whenever I so desire.

"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" - The Orioles

Good evening peeps!! Happy New Year's Eve!!! Today is the sixth day of KWANZAA and today's principle is KUUMBA = CREATIVITY!!! This needs no explanation...do your thing all you creative types...BE BLESSED AND SAFE! GET READY FOR 01/01/10...It's here!

"Purpose" - Avenue Q

Good morning peeps!! It is already day five of Kwanzaa...time seems to accelerate as we grow older! I guess we become more aware of the passage of time as adults, whereas, in childhood we are so involved in our daily playful pursuits that we don't give time much thought. Wow...! Day five of Kwanzaa celebrates the principle of NIA. Such a pretty word! Such a lovely name for a daughter. NIA means purpose; purpose means different things to folk. As a principle of Kwanzaa, purpose is defined as making our "collective vocation the building and developing of our community, in order to restore our people to their traditional greatness". An idealistic pipe dream? Perhaps. But should we stop trying? Of course not! Let's continue to (oh-oh, here comes a tired cliche) KEEP HOPE ALIVE! Happy fifth day of Kwanzaa! NIA!

"I Don't Want Nobody To Give Me Nothing" - James Brown

Good morning peeps!!Welcome to day four of KWANZAA! Today's principle is UJAAMA = Collective Economics! In December 1966 when Dr. Maulana Karenga created the concept of Kwanzaa, there was a lot of movement towards self-empowerment. The Black Panther Party demonstrated this idea in Oakland, California by starting "feeding programs" for the people. They encouraged  "self-sufficiency"; taking care of each other and community ownership. Dr. Karenga used Swahili words to derive the Seven Principles. Swahili is a fusion of African Bantu language with Arabic, creating a Creole derivative. Ujaama was selected to represent Collective Economics: "to build, maintain, and support our own stores, establishments and businesses". The late, great James Brown personified this principle by having his own self-contained band; employing many stellar musicians, and establishing a dress code. He also purchased his own radio stations (three), as well as his own production company. James Brown is one of a few Black artists who knew the importance of Ujaama. Have a blessed day four of Kwanzaa and support as many Black owned businesses as you can.

"Chain Gang" - Sam Cooke

Good morning peeps!! Hope you are having a blessed Kwanzaa! We are already on the third day of  Kwanzaa, and today's principle is UJIMA! Ujima is the principle of Collective Work and Responsibility. My penchant for attaching a popular (or obscure) song to my theme was a bit more difficult today than usual, because I couldn't really think of just the right song to personify Ujima! What is collective work and responsibility? I think it means pitching in to help one another complete a project together; or helping a friend move; having a paint party to get the job completed faster; bringing a dish to a "pot luck" dinner so the hostess won't have to do all the preparations. etc. Although the song Chain Gang is about a depressing situation, I can envision the men helping one another, in order to make each one's task a little less daunting. The song also evokes images of my ancestors working in cotton or tobacco fields, beneath a hot sun; under an overseer's watchful eyes! UJIMA! Working together in a positively helpful manner. Have you Ujima'd today?

Play List for Ujima

1. Chain Gang - Sam Cooke

2. The Work Song - Oscar Brown Junior

3. That's What Friends Are For - Dionne Warwick and Friends

4. Working In The Coal Mine - Lee Dorsey

5. With A Little Help From My Friend - The Beatles 

6. Lean On Me - Bill Withers

7. He Aint Heavy, He's My Brother - The Hollies

8. You've Got A Friend - James Taylor

9. Let's Work Together - Canned Heat

10. I Can Help - Billy Swann

11. I'll Be There - J5

12. Work To Do - Isley Brothers

13. Higher Ground - Stevie Wonder

14. Come Together - The Beatles

15. We Are The World - USA for Africa

"Sisters Are Doing It For Themselves" - Annie Lennox and Aretha Franklin

Good morning peeps!! Bless you on this, the second day of KWANZAA. Today's principle is KUJICHAGULIA = SELF-DETERMINATION! Don't let anyone else define who you are or what you should believe. Just determine to be the best you you can be!