JC
Janet Stickmon explores themes of identity through her new memoir, Crushing Soft Rubies.
Description:
Crushing Soft Rubies is the place where spirit, culture, and survival meet. It is the story of a Filipino-African-American who is caught between the death of her parents and the desperate need to define herself—not as an orphan, but as a strong woman […]

JC
Juan Esparza of the Fresno Bee talks with a couple of Californians about the growth of the multiethnic population there.
When Fresno school board candidate Valerie Davis fielded a question about cultural diversity at a forum last October, she talked about her own identity. “You’re looking at a culturally diverse rich woman,” said Davis, who went […]

CVK
Those of you who have been watching Missy Elliott’s new reality show on UPN, “Road to Stardom,” will be familiar with the very talented Akil Dasan, who has been stealing the show with his great voice, thoughtful lyrics, and guitar skills. Here’s some more info about him.
—Akil’s bio page on the official “Road to Stardom” […]

CVK
Playbill reports that Jeffrey Wright is in talks to star alongside Ben Stiller in Neil LaBute’s new play, “This Is How It Goes” at New York’s Public Theater from March 8 to April 10:
In “This Is How It Goes,” LaBute trains his eye on a small town in America for what is billed as a […]

CVK
The New York Times was pretty harsh on Essie Mae Washington-Williams’ memoir “Dear Senator,” but today’s Washington Post review is even more damning.
“Dear Senator” shows no concern about Thurmond’s inappropriate, abusive appropriation of a vulnerable young household servant; instead, it offers only the hearts-and-flowers version of the story. (The corner of each page is adorned […]

CVK
VH1 will mark Black History Month with an array of original documentaries and specials including “Ego Trip’s Race-O-Rama,” which will air February 21-23 at 9 PM.
I’m looking forward to it, as I thoroughly enjoyed VH1 and Ego Trip’s last collaboration, “TV’s Illest Minority Moments,” a hilarious look at the way minorities have been misrepresented […]

CVK
Heidi Durrow’s story “Light-Skinned-ed Girl” beat out more than 800 other works for this year’s prestigious Lorian Hemingway Short Story award from the New York Foundation for the Arts. Here’s her artist’s statement on the NYFA site:
“As a biracial, bicultural woman, I write to discover my place in the world and literature. What is the […]

CVK
Florida’s Sun-Sentinel’s Celebrity Q&A column profiles Naveen Andrews, the actor who plays an Iraqi ex-soldier on ABC’s hit series “Lost.”
There’s something familiar about the actor who plays an ex-Iraqi army officer on ABC’s Lost. Where have I seen him before?
Biracial actor Naveen Andrews has appeared in some 20 movies and television shows, but his most […]

JC & CVK
Thanks to everyone who nominated our site for the 2005 Bloggies!
Mixed Media Watch is currently a FINALIST for the Best Kept Secret award, so please vote for us!
Please vote for us here.
(”Best Kept Secret” is the 4th category from the bottom.)
Thank you for your support, and please ask your friends and […]

CVK
Just when you were starting to feel good about your career, Elle magazine runs an item about Kifu Augousti:
Designers are exploring global styles in 2005. Kifu Augousti, surely the youngest designer on the map at 10 years old, is no exception. The half Filipino, half Greek Parisian, inspired by travels to Bali and Santorini, draws […]

JC
Star-Telegram gives a heads-up on Miracle’s Boys, a miniseries that will air on The N (Noggin’s teen network) next month.
Miracle’s Boys, about three biracial (Puerto Rican and black) teen-age brothers coping with life after the death of their mother… is a big-time project. Not only is Lee directing a pair of 30-minute episodes, but so […]

CVK
As we told you in early December, under intense criticism, Ward Connerly has decided to decline any possible re-appoinment to the UC Board of Regents. San Jose Mercury News takes a look back at his legacy: the good, the bad, and the ugly. Also check out similar articles in the San Francisco Chronicle and the […]

CVK
The Hartford Courant ran a great column for Martin Luther King Day celebrating black role models from the earlier days of television. The article talks specifically about how Martin Luther King himself encouraged black actress Nichelle Nichols to stay on “Star Trek.” Nichols shared the first-ever interracial kiss on television with William Shatner, who played […]

CVK
The Seattle Times profiles Matt Kelley, president of the MAVIN foundation. The article talks about MAVIN’s various projects, including its bone-marrow drives, the Seattle community plan, and the upcoming Generation Mix tour. (We wrote about the tour on November 12, 2004 and our post generated a lot of debate and discussion. Check it out here.)
A […]

CVK
The New York Times reviews “Dear Senator,” the new memoir by Essie Mae Washington-Williams, the illegitimate biracial daughter of the late segregationist Strom Thurmond. The review does little to offset the widespread impression of Ms. Washington-Williams as…how do I put this…a total pushover?
Now she also has a ghostwriter: William Stadiem, who recently made himself […]

JC
We all thought that the next Census would hit us again in 2010. However, the Centre Daily Times explains that Pennsylvania residents (and others across the country) should soon expect to see Census forms appearing in their mailboxes. Interesting that this hasn’t gotten that much coverage to date…be on the lookout all!
Thanks to a change […]

JC

The Digital Collegian, (a Penn State student publication), reports on a panel on campus that discussed DNA testing (”AncestrybyDNA”) and the merits of racial classification. On the panel, students with “surprising DNA results” shared their stories.
Despite tanning well in the summer thanks to his Italian genes, Anthony Frederick (junior-sociology) has light skin. He is […]

JC
The New York Daily News interviews transracial adoptees who hope to pave the way for a younger generation of adoptees by providing resources.
Today’s adoptees - who last year numbered 21,616 - are raised in a climate that strives to smooth the bumps of a cross-cultural upbringing with heritage days, culture camps, birth-country tours, […]

JC
The Tampa Tribune tells the story of the Funderbergs, a couple that was interested in adopting. After trial periods with a series of different children, they have finally found happiness after officially adopting 3 brothers. I think it’s interesting that difference in ethnicity (between children and parents) is mentioned, while it seems that the real […]

JC
The Michigan Daily reports that as of now, Ward Connerly and MCRI have the public’s support. They just collected more than the number of signatures needed to put the question of “racial preferences” to the voters of Michigan in 2006. It is now a question of making sure the signatures are not fraudulent and really […]