21 Jump Street

This post was motivated by @hollyrpeete's new profile pic on Twitter. Although the show ran from 1987 - 1991, it wasn't until the last two years - at the ages of 9 and 10 - that I got acquainted with it. Through the magic of videotape (oy, I'm old.) I was able to catch everything I missed. My little behind was too cool for school thinking that I was Holly Robinson's Officer Judy. As if!

Anyway, if you don't already know, 21 Jump Street centered around an undercover police unit composed of young looking officers specializing in youth crime. Holly Robinson  (Peete not yet added) was part of a multicultural cast that included Johnny Depp, Dustin Nguyen and Peter DeLuise. A multicultural cast that will not transition to the 2012 remake. Last I heard, the only actor of color cast thus far for the remake is Ice Cube in the role of Captain Dickson. The equivalent of Ms. Peete's character will be played by a very blonde Brie Larson. Although I don't have anything against Ms. Larson (I'm not even familiar with her work), it's insulting that the role did not go to one of the many, many, MANY talented black actresses in Hollywood today. Hello Raven Symone, or many of the other suggestions made by Black Voices Online this past February.

Honestly, I think I'll stick to the DVD and pass on the remake.

For your viewing and listening pleasure, I present to you the theme song. My favorite part is that last '21111 Jump Street!' bit.

Multiracial and Multicultural Weddings...Commence Drooling

Dear Readers,

It's no surprise to anyone who knows me that I little black heart weddings. I don't necessarily like to attend them, nor am I a huge proponent of marriage - yes, I know I'm married. No, I'm more of a side-line viewer. I like to watch various TV shows and visit websites that capture all aspects of the wedding experience: the couple's story, the dress, the food, the decor...you name it. I'm especially excited when it's an interracial or intercultural couple because the diversity provides an added component.

One of my favorite sites to drool over is Wedding Nouveau. Below are some highlights of some of those I like the most. Trust me, it was a difficult decision.

You can check out Wedding Nouveau to view more.

Yours,

E

Indian and Finnish

Black and Jewish

Nigerian and Chinese/Vietnamese

Egyptian American

West-Indian Canadian and Canadian

Bengali American and Scottish

Korean American

Vietnamese and Taiwanese

Multicultural Men Take A Stand To Prevent Violence Against Women

Dear Readers,

I'm not even going to pretend that this video doesn't put a GIANT smile on my face. I stumbled upon it just a little while ago on a RT of a post from @iluvblackwomen and have watched it multiple times since.

More than the fact that it's great to have men of all cultures talking about what makes their partners beautiful, I appreciate the purpose of the video to have men uplift women as a stand against domestic violence.

 
I continue to be a proponent of organizations that empower boys and men to advocate against all types of violence toward women. One such organization is Men Stopping Violence (MSV) whose mission for the past 30 years has been working to create a community-centered response to domestic violence that will discourage men from using violence or abuse in their intimate relationships.

Part of our mission here at EIRIC™ (in our shop Made in The World™) is to make a profit to make a difference. According to the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network (RAINN), in 2007, there were 248,300 victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault. (These figures do not include victims 12 years old or younger.). It is our belief that an effective means of combating this statistic is to train and empower boys and young men to be agents of social change against sexual violence. The goal is that if it's done early on we'll end up with fewer cases such as that of former IMF leader Dominique Strauss-Kahn who stands accused of sexually assaulting the West African maid at his NYC hotel. We want to raise men who will shape the minds of younger boys (be it sons, nephews, cousins, students, etc...) to respect women. 

Hopefully with your support we can raise the funds to make this a reality. 


Yours,


E

Sister, Sister Star Tamera Mowry Weds Fox Correspondent Adam Housley

Congratulations to the happy couple!

Happy couple after tying the know. Love those petals.

Pregnant twin sis Tia shedding tears of joy

The many shades of beauty

More pics at People.com

Happy Mother's Day to Moms of all Cultures Raising Children of all Colors!

Happy Mother's Day Readers!

No Monsters™ is part of our series titled "Proof™". It's our answer to the questions: "Is this your child?" and "Is that your mom?" Sometimes you just have to answer the questions for them.

As far as we can tell (thanks Google!), the following countries also celebrate mother's day on the second Sunday in May (May 8th this year).

Worldwide Celebration Dates on May 8, 2011

The following countries celebrate Mother's Day on May 8:

Anguilla Aruba Australia Austria Bahamas Barbados Bangladesh Belgium Belize Bermuda Bonaire Brazil Canada Chile China Colombia Cuba Croatia

Curaçao Czech Republic Denmark Ecuador Estonia Finland Germany Greece Grenada Honduras Hong Kong Iceland Italy Jamaica Japan Latvia Malta Malaysia

Netherlands New Zealand Peru Philippines Puerto Rico Singapore Slovakia South Africa Suriname Switzerland Taiwan Trinidad and Tobago Turkey Uruguay Venezuela Zimbabwe

We here at EIRIC™ and Made in The World™ are wishing a happy day to those moms around the world who are celebrating today, moms of all cultures raising children of all colors, old time moms, new moms, moms with one, moms with multiple, moms by choice, moms by default, moms who work outside the home, moms who work inside the home, moms who cook, moms who order takeout, those who can spell mom, those who've ever seen a movie with a mom in it, those who like Boys II Men's Mam, Moms Mabley, Mama Mia, Mama Say Mama Sa Mamakusa...and any other moms not captured in this greeting.

People are going to stare and have questions. Why not let your baby answer it? This is a fun multicultural gift for the mommy in your life with a biracial baby.

No Monsters™ is part of our series titled "Proof™". It's our answer to the questions: "Is this your child?" and "Is that your mom?". Sometimes you just have to answer the questions for them.

Source:
EIRIC™
Made in The World™
Google
http://www.mothersdaycentral.com/when/

The Interracial Royal Wedding. Prince Maximilian and Princess Angela of Liechtenstein

Dear Readers,

Brace yourselves. There are royal weddings outside of England. Crazy! We know. Even more interesting to you and to us is the fact that one of those weddings was an interracial union. YEP! Someone fan us, please.

Please take a seat and learn more about this story.

Where else would a fashion designer of Afro-Panamanian descent and a European prince meet but in New York? Side note: oh how we love our city!

Anyway, once upon a time (see 1997) Angela Gisela Brown ans Prince Maximilian Nikolaus Maria of Liechtenstein met, dated (see ate a few meals, watched a few movies, maybe went to a bar or two), fell in love and decided to get married.

The wedding, which took place at Saint Vincent Ferrer Church in Manhattan on January, 29, 2000, was the entree of a splash of color into the European monarchy. 

Ms. Brown, who was born on Februrary 3, 1958 in Bocas del Toro Panama, is the daughter of Mr. Javier Francisco Brown and Mrs. Silvia Maritza Brown. Prince Maximilian, who was born on May 16, 1969, is the second son of  Hans-Adam II, Prince of Liechtenstein and Marie, Princess of Liechtenstein.

The prince and princess are now the proud parents of this gorgeous little biracial boy who is no doubt also named Maximilian. Our German is a little rusty so we couldn't fully translate the caption on the picture.

For those of us (insert EIRIC™) who had ZERO clue where Liechtenstein was when we first heard about the love story in 2000, here is a brief profile of the country as reported by the BBC.

Liechtenstein Country Profile

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a tiny, landlocked country tucked away between Switzerland and Austria and with mountain slopes rising above the Rhine valley.

• Full name: Principality of Liechtenstein
• Population: 35,000 (UN, 2009)
• Capital: Vaduz
• Area: 160 sq km (61.8 sq miles)
• Major language: German
• Major religion: Christianity
• Life expectancy: 75 years (men), 82 years (women)
• Monetary unit: 1 Swiss franc = 100 centimes
• Main exports: Machinery, dental products, foodstuffs, stamps
• GNI per capita: $113, 210 (World Bank, 2008)
• Internet domain: .li
• International dialling code: +423

Sources: 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Maximilian_of_Liechtenstein
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princess_Angela_of_Liechtenstein
http://www.thumperscorner.com/discus/messages/2152/6405.html
http://marilynsroyalblog.blogspot.com/2008/08/whats-deal-with-princess-angela-of.html
http://www.fuerstenhaus.li/en/index.html
http://www.google.com/

ABC Cancels One Life To Live. Our Tribute to Our Favorite Multicultural or Multiracial "Couples"

Dear One Life to Live:

Oh, how sad we are to see you go. We had a feeling this day was coming, but like a child too old to still believe in Santa, we secretly held out hope.

Taking a trip down memory lane, we'd like to highlight some of our Top 3 absolute favorite mixed-race and/or cross-cultural couples - those who actually are and those we wanted to be.

#3: Matthew Buchanan and Destiny Evans (played by Eddie Alderson and Shenell Edmonds):

Jewish-American Matthew and African-American Destiny are high schoolers who are the best of friends - although some would say (with good reasons) that Destiny is a much better to Matthew than he is to her. During his freshman year, Matthew had a desire to fit in with the cool crowd at school but it was Destiny who thought him that he didn't need a bunch of jerks to validate him. Destiny goes on to support Matthew through his brief paralysis (as a result of a car accident) and his lawsuit against his parents to allow him to undergo an experimental surgery - one that would have been performed by Destiny's hotshot surgeon brother Greg. After Matthew starts to walk again, Destiny reveals that she is in love with him, but he doesn't feel the same way. His heart belongs to Danielle Rayburn - the secret daughter of his Latina lawyer Tea Delgado and her white ex-husband Todd Manning.

Despite not returning her feelings, Destiny remained a good friend to Matthew. Matthew has shown his support for Destiny by standing by her after learning that the people who raised her were her grandparents and not her parents. She would learn later that her brother Greg is her father. 

Earlier this year, Matthew and Destiny kissed for the first time following a series of events in which both felt betrayed by their families.

We hope to have Matthew come to realize how deeply in love he is with Destiny before One Life To Live's final episode.

Do you hear us Powers-that-be?

#2: Bo and Nora Buchanan (played by Emmy-winners Robert S. Woods and Hillary B. Smith): 

Non-Jewish Bo and Jewish Nora were first married in 1995 by none other than the A-wop-bop-a-loo-lop a-lop bam boo king (aka Little Richard). Not long after their wedding, Bo's son Drew dies and he becomes inconsolable. Fearing that Bo was starting to feel that he had nothing to live for, Nora lied and told him that she was pregnant. Believing that Bo was shooting blanks, Nora convinced her ex Sam Rappaport to knock her up. Like all good soap opera secrets, nothing stays secret for long. A drunken Lindsay, Sam's ex-wife, publicly blabbed to all who would listen that Nora had slept with Sam. Needless to say, Bo was not pleased. He left her and they were apart for about 10 years - even though he learned that Matthew (yep, the same one noted above) was indeed his child.

Many relationships later (including Nora's brief marriage to Bo's brother Clint - we won't talk about that), Nora and Bo finally got back together and were married in June of 2010.

Both weddings are below for your viewing pleasure.

#1: John McBain and Evangeline Williamson (played by Michael Easton and Renee Goldsberry): 

Irish-American brooding hottie John and African-American classic beauty Evangeline started as "no strings attached" lovers but ended up irrevocably etched into each other's hearts - don't care how it's been written, Natalie is not John's one true love.

 The breakup of John and Evangeline (it went downhill when John chose to rescue Natalie before Evangeline when they were both being held hostage by a madman) left a crack in our hearts that will never fully heal.

One Life to Live, if we could turn back the hands of time, we'd go back to the days when Evangeline and John were still happily in love and you still had a secure place in the ABC daytime lineup.

You will be missed.


*Sources: Google, Youtube, Wikipedia, ABC, about.com

Kosher Tex-Mex Barbecue Craving

Every once in a while I get a serious craving for barbecue. Not because I love it so - no. More because I'm a nut job. Anyway, that's another story altogether. Back to the food. I'm always craving this food, but know that I generally have only a handful of options since I don't eat pork and eat chicken every once in a while. I wanted ribs so I begged the hubby to find a good restaurant within a reasonable driving distance from our place *aka a maximum of 10 hours ;)*. He delivered with Smokey Joe's Kosher Tex-Mex Barbeque.

I. Kid. You. Not. Kosher Tex-Mex. Even if I wasn't in the mood for ribs, there was no way I would have passed up the chance to experience Kosher Tex-Mex.

We took the drive to Teaneck, NJ barely able to contain our excitement - when I say we, I really mean me. Hubby's not as easily impressed. Anyway, it was as interesting as I thought it would be. Outside of the waitstaff, we were the only non-Jewish individuals in the restaurant. Nothing new. We're used to being "the only ________" almost everywhere that we go.

Dinner was good, but the experience was better. The best part being listening to the yarmulke-wearing-20-somethings singing Rihana's Umbrella as they left their table. I. Love. America.

Cornbread and Onion Jam Spread. Oh this was so tasty --- especially if you're like me and like the chunks of corn in your bread.

Appetizer: Sausage Sampler. We chose the Lamb Merguez and the Turkey Sage. I'm still salivating over the lamb. According to hubby, we're going back just so he can get a Sausage Sampler as his main course.

Dinner (Mine): BBQ Sampler Plate. I chose the Brisket and Chicken option and added the Rice and Beans as a side. Hubby at my chicken because I didn't really like it. I enjoyed the brisket, although I would have preferred the traditional Jewish one (they were out). I would not recommend the side.

Dinner (Hubby): Homemade Meatloaf. I pretty much devoured his meatloaf. I loved it so.

Next time we go, we're taking the whole family - on my hubby's side. Maybe, he'll wear his Star Wars shirt again. We can only hope.