Black Women Don’t Swim? [ColorLines]
Of course, it’s hard to prove that past racist policies are directly responsible for apparent the lack of a swimming culture in some urban communities of color. On the other hand, in segregated cities, where structural racism continues to shade into the use and perception of public recreation, it seems less outlandish to focus on the role of historical memory versus, say, Black women’s supposedly life-consuming hair neuroses. But of course, it’s more fun to just indulge public fascination with how hairstyles influence Black women’s behavior. And when that story gets old, just add water.
Coalition Calls on Toys “R” Us to End “Toxic Toy Story” [Inhabitots]
PVC, or polyvinyl chloride, is the most dangerous plastic of all. BPA? Check. Pthalates? Check. Lead? Also check. So why is are these toxins found in so many children’s products? A coalition led by the Center for Health, Environment & Justice is presenting that question to the largest toy store in the world, Toys “R” Us, today at its flagship location in Times Square.
I don’t talk about strollers, I talk about race [Los Angelista’s Guide to the pursuit of happiness]
I don’t want to read about strollers. I want to read about how do I raise my child with the social and spiritual mindset, skills and knowledge to be a productive member of society?
My boys go to summer camp and on Wednesday they took a field trip to Zuma Beach. I figured the most exciting thing to happen would be a jellyfish sighting. Unfortunately, on the bus ride home, one of the other campers, an older 13 year-old boy, decided to slap my nine year-old , Mr. O, and hurl some racial epithets his way.
I had to figure out how to respond to that, and in the long run, how I deal with that will mean more to my son than what stroller I bought him or what babyfood he ate.
The Pursuit Of Parenting [Rice Daddies]
Recently, I suffered my children’s fierce complaints about having to go to Chinese school over the summer. All of their other friends had the time to themselves – they travelled and played and filled scrapbooks (or hard drives) with tokens from their adventures. My kids were frustrated that they were spending the summer sitting at a school desk for four hours a day, writing and reciting passages they have yet to gain a strong understanding of.
I looked towards my mother, who simply sat there witnessing my children’s tirade, and I knew – I knew I was doing a good job parenting. I knew this because a smile was tucked snugly in the corner of her mouth. It was a smile that dared me to remember how much I protested Chinese school when I was as young as my children are today.
With respect to swimming, I can only speak for myself.
As a kid, I had no problem with swimming or playing in water because my hair was still natural then.
When I hit puberty, I wanted straighter hair because I started feeling ashamed of my naturally thick, kinky-curly hair.
I’m biracial and people of all races have always made racist, derogatory comments about my hair.
As a young girl, I believed that white girls were the prettiest and that they had the most beautiful hair. I wanted blonde hair and blue eyes.
I learned to devalue myself very early in life.
I remember a little boy saying that my hair was ugly after I went swimming once. He was Black, but obviously socialized to view straight hair as ideal.
I started relaxing my hair at 11. Since then, I’ve been unable to walk freely in the rain or do anything that involves water…besides washing it on a weekly basis, of course.
I went swimming in the community pool with my husband about two months ago. He is white, with straight hair. He is still trying to understand my relationship with my hair.
I rarely swim. Not only because of my hair, but because I’ve been made to feel ashamed of my body as well. I will not wear shorts, let alone a bikini. My behind is very round and shapely, to the point that a drunk white woman slapped me on my butt in front of my father about 3 years ago while the two white men with her made lewd sexual comments about me.
I will be blunt…I’m very neurotic when it comes to my hair. It is definitely a hangup of mine. It rules my life. I know it sounds terrible, but that’s the way it is.
I never learned to take care of it in its natural state. Some people might roll their eyes when they read this, but try to understand…when you have been told that you are ugly and inferior all your life because of a physical characteristic you cannot control, based on society’s racist beauty ideals, it stays with you.
It does serious damage to a person’s self-image, especially if you are sensitive like me. I don’t exercise anymore because of my hair…I will explain that one if anyone wants to know. I’ve ballooned up to an unhealthy weight in the last year.
I’m now about 60 lbs. overweight. I’m depressed and still battling low self-esteem. I want to be able to swim, to exercise, to walk in the rain without worrying that somebody will attack me with racial slurs because my hair is “ugly” in their eyes.
I’ve tried to develop thicker skin but it still hurts. And while I know that there are Black/biracial women who have never experienced this, I’ve not been as fortunate. I live in a “diverse” city with billions of other POC, but I still constantly encounter racism. I hear all the hurtful comments about my hair, my body, and the color of my skin…I’m constantly being devalued.
So while I respect the author’s views, I will say that she should bear in mind that Black women are often subjected to very racist standards of physical appearance and behavior. This is one of the reasons that some Black women are reluctant to swim or enjoy other activities, and yes, it IS rooted in racism.