Wednesday, March 24, 2010

News One: Is Nappy the New N-word?

Read my News One blog post: Is Nappy the New N-word?

By Charisse Carney Nunes

I recently watched a television show about standards of beauty around the world. I sat in awe as little Chinese girls went ga-ga for White Barbie, and their mothers and sisters stood in a drive-thru line to have a surgeon slice away the fat from their eyelids to make them more Euro-chic. On one level, it felt good to know that African-American women are not alone in the emotional struggle to love ourselves enough to call ourselves pretty. But that feeling quickly vanished as the show then focused on Nigerian women who loathed their natural locks, opting for lye to straighten them out and a needle and thread to weave in wigs of women’s hair from places like India.

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Nappy Narratives Week 4: Mary McLeod Bethune

Nappy Narrative_Mary McLeod Bethune from Brand Nu Words on Vimeo.

Tuesday, March 09, 2010

Celebrating Remarkable Women During Women’s History Month

By Charisse Carney-Nunes
For News One March 9, 2010 6:00 pm

This week marks the 35th commemoration of International Women’s Day (Monday), celebrated by the United Nations. This year’s theme is “Equal Rights, Equal Opportunities, Progress for all.” As a woman, I am grateful that for one day out of 365, women are recognized for our achievements. But outside of this special day and month – March is also Women’s History Month – I find myself humming Sojourner Truth’s tune, asking Ain’t I A Woman and questioning where I fit in popular culture, and even in my own community.

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