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.

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 Haitian Flag Day!

Dear Readers, 

Today I celebrate the flag day of my country of birth as I sit here in the country I was raised. 

To share this celebration with you, this post captures a brief history of the flag. 

Hope it enlightens you.

Yours,

E

Brief History of the Flag:

The first Haitian flag was created on May 18, 1803

Catherine Flon, a seamstress in Archahaie (a town outside of Port-au-Prince), stitched together the first version of the flag

 Flag Day is a nationally recognized holiday in Haiti

Army General Jean-Jacques Dessalines made the first rough draft of a flag by grabbing France's red, white and blue, ripping the white stripe to pieces and joining the blue and red together.

This makeshift flag symbolized the union of the mulattoes and the blacks against the colonialist, pro-slavery France.

The arms are composed of a palm tree surmounted by the Phrygian cap of liberty and ornamented with trophies with a banner across the bottom saying "L'Union Fait La Force" (through Unity there is Strength). 

In 1805, after Dessalines proclaimed himself emperor, the Haitian flag colors were changed to black and red bands placed vertically, respectively.

After his death in 1806, the country was divided into two republics for 14 years. Henri Christophe and the northern part of the country retained Dessalines' flag.  

The southern and western parts of the country, led by Alexandre Petion, went back to the 1804 blue and red flag. This time a square patch was added to the middle that included the country arms and the L'Union Fait La Force motto.

The flag was in use until 1964 when Papa Doc Duvalier modified Dessalines' version by adding the arms of the Republic.  

After the fall of the Duvalier regime in 1986, the people took back the flag. They changed it to two-equal sized horizontal bands, a blue on one top and a red one underneath. The coat of arms of the Republic remained in the center. 

This is the version of the flag that is in use today.  

Catherine Flon

 

 

The version of the flag that is in use today. 

Arab American Crowned Miss USA!

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
Ridiculously gorgeous Rima Fakih, Miss Michigan, was crowned on Sunday, May 16th as Miss USA 2010. Ms. Fakih, a Lebanese American, is the first woman of Arab descent to hold both the Ms. Michigan and Ms. USA titles. Congratulations Ms. Fakih! We can't think of a more beautiful face to represent the U.S.  

Source:
http://tv.yahoo.com/the-2010-miss-usa-pageant/show/46500/news/tv-news.en.ap.org/tv-news.en.ap.org-20100517-us_miss_usa

http://www.arabdetroit.com/news.php?id=960

Have you seen Arranged?

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
Rochel is an Orthodox Jew, and Nasira a Muslim of Syrian origin. They are both young teachers at a public school in Brooklyn...each going through the process of arranged marriages through their respective religions and traditional customs. How do they handle it?

To learn more: http://www.everythingiric.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=1836&Itemid=2
Source: 
http://arrangedthemovie.com/

Crappy weather got you down? Need a laugh? Meet Subtle Sexuality!!!

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
Ms. Kelly Kapoor and Ms. Erin Hannon - the delicious interracial diva group known as Subtle Sexuality who can do it all: sing, dance, act and wear shiny gold spandex. You can catch them on NBC's The Office or visit their website below. Grab a hair brush, lock your doors and sing along with their hit Male Prima Donna.

Source: 
http://www.subtlesexuality.com/main.shtml 
www.hulu.com

R.I.P. Ms. Lena Horne (1917 - 2010) - A Class Act!

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
In the 1940s Ms. Horne was one of the first black performers hired to sing with a major white band, the first to play the Copacabana nightclub and among a handful with a Hollywood contract. To her fans (and some of ours), one of the most memorable moment is her 1973 performance with Kermit the Frog on Sesame Street. Ms. Horne, who dealt with a very color-conscious world during her career, was appropriately tapped to help Kermit come to the conclusion that 'green is just right for him and just what he wants to be.' For your viewing pleasure, please see below for "It's Not Easy Bein' Green."

Source:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_obit_horne 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mPvZR6DTbq8

Have you met the I am ... Indigenous project?

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
The project seeks to change perceptions forged by stereotypes by showcasing those who inspire us to be better human beings.

Click below to read the profiles of Juliette Blackhawk, an Ojibwe language teacher; and Nick Sherman, a talented gracious musician.

Source: 
http://iamindigenous.blogspot.com/

Have you met actress and author Victoria Rowell?

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
Ms. Rowell (known to a lot of us Soap Opera fans as Drucilla Winters from the Young and the Restless) is an advocate for foster care children. The daughter of a white mother and black father, Ms. Rowell grew up in Maine and was a child in the foster care system for 18 years. If you haven't already, learn more about the foster care system and what you can do to help. The following link will take you to Ms. Rowell's foundation - The Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan (RFCPP).

-L to R: Jasper (V's son with Jazz great Wynton Marsalis); Radcliffe's daughter, Victoria, Radcliffe Bailey (V's new and 2nd husband); Radcliffe's son; Maya Fahey (V's biological child from her first marriage)

Source: 
http://www.rowellfosterchildren.org/ 
http://www.everythingiric.com/index.php?option=com_mtree&task=viewlink&link_id=1824&Itemid=2  http://www.blackcelebkids.com/2009/07/15/victoria-rowells-wedding-a-family-affair/

Who are you to judge our crush on the pillowy host of Bizarre Foods?

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
If you haven't met Andrew Zimmern, it's past time that you did. Follow this NYC Jewish foodie on his cultural adventures around the world. The video below explores his time in Cambodia. Weak stomachs need not apply. 

The Visitors by Samina Akbari

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
Nisa keeps her [white] boyfriend a secret from her [Thai] family. As mice invade their apartment, she is forced to face what she’s really hiding from.

Source:  
http://www.thevisitorsfilm.com/
http://sundance.bside.com/2010/films/thevisitors_sundance2010 

Amazing Hybrid Animals

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
Ligers, tigons and grolar bears, oh my! The most interesting form of cross-and-inter-anything that we can think of.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ygreen/20100427/sc_ygreen/sixamazinghybridanimals

Some Girls. My Life in a Harem.

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
Introducing Jillian Lauren, author of the Some Girls memoir about her time spent in Brunei as a Harem girl.

Jillian is the wife of Weezer member Scott Shriner. She and Scott adopted Tariku, the most happy little boy (check him out on the drums) we’ve ever seen, from Ethiopia.

Source: 
http://www.jillianlauren.com/blog/?tag=tariku-shriner 

To purchase her book: www.amazon.com/gp/product/0452296315?ie=UTF8&tag=evinanin-20

Native American Images on Film

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:
The films and introductions will explore a different topic each night, including the evolution of Native American depictions by director John Ford (May 4), non-Indians in Indian roles (May 6), Indians as enemies (May 11), white men living among Indians (May 13), Indians as “noble savages” (May 18), Native Americans facing racism (May 20), Native American actors and filmmakers (May 25) and images from outside Hollywood (May 27).

Source:
TCM

Aaron Landry Explains Arizona’s Immigration Law with Crayons

Dear Readers,

I'm moving over some old (as far back as 2009) posts from the main EIRIC™ site to here. Reason: I'm going with a different direction for the front page. Please feel free to take a look and provide your feedback.

Yours,

E

Post:

Too funny for words!

Source: 
Aaron's Hotlinks on Tumblelog

2nd ROCK YOUR VOTE TO HELP US!!!

EIRIC™ has partnered with the U.S. Census Bureau to help achieve a complete and accurate count of our nation's growing population during the Census 2010.We have launched the "You are the US Census. Stand up and be counted!" nationwide campaign. With the help of photographer Mike Tauber, we are creating a multitude of marketing materials to capture cross-cultural individuals in their daily lives.

Our latest and last photo shoot took place in the middle of Grand Central Station *we had to elbow a few folks out of the way ;)* with one of our favorite couple – Priscilla and Chris.

We need your help to choose the top three (3) pictures - in order of preference - that will be used for the campaign. When choosing please keep in mind that these pictures will be made into large posters.

Thanks so much for your help.

You are the U.S. Census!

Happy New Year!!! We're very happy to celebrate the start of 2010 with our Census campaign. These are our first two posters. Enjoy!

In March of 2010, census forms will be delivered to every residence in the United States and Puerto Rico. When you receive yours, just answer the 10 short questions and then mail the form back in the postage-paid envelope provided.