This is a post i was invited to put on Eboo Patel's The Faith Divide blog, on Newsweek/Washington Post's On Faith website.
let me know what you think!
Guest Blogger: Blaxican and American
By Kara Carrell
Langston Hughes says that America was never America to him. And in many ways, being a Blaxican (of Black and Mexican heritage) woman, I have felt the same. In talking with my friends, mostly young people leading diverse lifestyles across the country, I’ve found the question of what it means to be American - what it means to be patriotic - being asked over and over again. The questions persist despite traits and heritage, beyond minority and majority divisions.
Langston Hughes also says,
America never was America to me,
And yet I swear this oath--
America will be!
The Flobots, an up-and-coming band from my hometown of Denver, Colorado came out to Chicago recently. (To my excitement, they also showed up on Jay Leno recently, and they have a national tour this summer.) The Flobots’ new album, Fight With Tools, shows the band members donning American flag bandannas, as well as flags waving in the background.
As the Flobots took the stage in Chicago, I noticed a lot of American flags out in the audience, being worn and waved in the mosh pits. As the concert went on, energetic hopping matched the beat of the music. Johnny 5 and Brer Rabbit, lead emcees of the band, called out, “To all of you out in the crowd, wearing and waving the flag: we want to tell you that these flags are not for the America you know today. Not for the America that has been. This is a representation of the America to come. The America we are all building.”
Reflecting on the concert later, thinking of what the Flobots had said, I found myself able to re-own what it means to be a patriotic American - that it’s important to recognize that America has not lived up to the principles of what it can be, and that we should use that recognition as a catalyst for building the America that will be. I felt excitement in making that America happen.
Looking forward to the 4th of July, we should celebrate not only our independence, but also our interdependence; shifting our thoughts and our actions toward the revitalization of America. In this America that will be, Independence Day also becomes Interdependence Day.
The 4th of July will be filled with millions of steps we all take as citizens toward making this the America that will be - where we will build, serve, talk, clean, and take action together.
At the end of this day, when we watch the fireworks light the night sky as we barbecue with family and friends, we will not only celebrate where we have come as a nation, but the America we are building. Rising together in solidarity, we will celebrate bringing our nation that much closer to what it looks like in the eyes of our dreams.
We will have reached for it, with tools in our hands, fire in our voices, and mutual loyalty and respect in our hearts, knowing that every year, on Interdependence Day, we get closer to a real, legendary, grassroots America for which we can all be patriotic - even Langston Hughes, even the youth, and - enthusiastically - me.
Kara Carrell is the Office Manager at the Interfaith Youth Core. Her current Flobots anthem is “Rise”.
While i was out in New Orleans, hanging with new friends, and having a wonderful time, i got to discover new songs that i love now, and re-experience songs i haven't heard in a long time. here are some of those songs:
it actually inspired me to wear my fro one day of the conference.. not near as hot.. but i tried :)
So, I noticed another vox chicas post, and she had this lovely scarf that she made, and it was being sold on her etsy account, and ice heard of etsy before, but this was the first if experienced the site, and it was the last straw. I had to start making things! out of materials that aren't recyclable, but definitely repurpose-able, like my valentines day project, and with beads, and lovely paper and excuisite colors, I even dragged Evelyn to the Michaels to look at everything... But I realize I want to be creative with things people forget about, things people assume are disposeable, and trash. I'm really interested in making mosaics and things.... And learning about new forms of creativity I may be good at producing things from....
What I love even more is that I can document it, and show the significance of each project on flickr, and on here... I think it really is a big gap I'm finding in my life, I don't give myself the time to play an create enough,
So here's to a reactivation of my creativity!
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I have a lot to learn about cultures, biologically speaking
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What's your musical horoscope? (Put your player on shuffle and write down the first 10 songs that come up.)
Ok so a lot of people have been posting to this QOTD, so i thought i would join in... and i love that i can see music everyone is listening to... SO here we go!
On a very related note... i am going to be using Media Monkey, because my MP3 player is lost... for the past 6 days... im very saddened by it, but i know ill find it!! it was lost in a house, AND i have all my music incase i need to think about the loss (if it DOES in fact come to a loss) as an opportunity to upgrade.
OK Song Number One: Sunshine- Mos Def: it uses "let the sunshine in" which is interesting since its morning...
Song Number Two: Oboe concerto in D Minor, 2nd movement- Johann Sebastian Bach : very regal song... makes me think of a stroll.. perhaps a morning stroll?? :)
Song Number Three: This is Our Last Time - Missy Elliot: hmmm dont have anything for this song... OH! maybe this is the last time ill have to do this horoscope using media monkey cause ill have my mp3 player back!
Song Number Four: Resham Ka Roomal - Ila Arun: im not sure what this song is about, but it sounds like an angry song... like an angry mom... (song didnt upload.. ill post it soon!)
Song Number Five: The Dope Show - Marylin Manson: i haven't heard this song in a long while.. i think i want to read up more about Marilyn Manson..Song Number Six: La Mentira - Vincente Fernandez: i had to look up the lyrics to this one.. im still in the organization process of my music... but this guys voice is so recognizeable...
Song Number Seven: Dani California - Red Hot Chili Peppers: ill always remember when Eboo ( IFYC's exec director, where i work) was getting ready to go on a trip to california, and he said, we all know what CDs i'm going to take with me; and no one knew, except me of course! RHCP!
Song Number Eight: Maybe Im Amazed - Paul McCartney (or is it the beatles..?): i love this song.. but i always fought about whether he said baby im amazed or maybe im amazed...
Song Number Nine: Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See - Busta Rhymes: i immediately thought of my cats, who im always checking where theyre at...
Song Number Ten: Wont Seem Like Christmas Without You - My Uncle Raul (no really.. my uncle): this song is an elvis song.. and my uncle has been an elvis impersonator since before i was born.. and one year, he actually made us all a christmas CD of elvis songs he made hisself... its great.. AND its a nice song cause its about people spening christmas apart, but thinking about eachother... but im actually going to be able to take a trip to denver for the holidays! so it wont be in my dreams that i see my family..
whelp.. good thing it stopped, cause the next song was Bol Weevil by the Presidents of the United States of America, and i dont like that song much....
hope you liked it! i think im gonna try to do this at least once a month... but im almost positive theres some kind of thing youre supposed to use to infer meaning from the order of the songs... anyone know what im talking about??
anyway, if you like the show, check it out at Veoh.tv, which i have to say is a GREAT website, and the software is nice too... its like i have a better TV than the one sitting in the room here...
they're also putting out a movie, (or maybe its been out already) so i cant wait to see that! i think i may have seen the trailer, which is much more good and evil, save-the-world-esque than the show... but I'm really caught up in the story!!
So... this thanksgiving, i had the luxury of being invited to a lovely potluck thanksgiving feast, and i thought.. MAN i have to make something! what will i make!? and i love sushi.. so i said (in my head, and jokingly i might add) hey why don't i make thanksgiving sushi...
and then...
i kept saying it in my head....
and then...
i did it!
So here is the recipe for making thanksgiving sushi... with pictures to follow!
INGREDIENTS FOR THANKSGIVING SUSHI!
Rice (you'll have to know how to make sushi rice first... look it up yo!)
Gravy (i got a large order of gravy from KFC)
Turkey (i used leftover turkey from a great friends dinner, that we pieced out into clean little yummy bits)
Stuffing (i used sage stove top stuffing.. yummy)
Cranberry sauce (you can make little slices, or make it like a jelly sauce...)
2 rolls of layer-y biscuits (i used the general kind and the buttermilk kind, but the buttermilk kind was hard to use)
I have to let you all know that i bought this awesome sushi maker, like the ones you see on TV, all plasticky mold like... but its become my favorite cooking tool.. so i guess you would need one of those to make it... unless you have your own sushi making ways.. you can (and should) skip to the part where you have the rice, and you're ready to go!
INSTRUCTIONS!!
Now... once you have sushi rice, all cooled and ready, add the gravy to the rice, mix for a good consistency, it should remain sticky, but have a good gravy taste...
Make the stuffing (read the instructions on the box for that one) and have it ready
Piece the Turkey and have it ready!
then fill the dough with the rice, adding turkey and stuffing...
finish the roll off with rice, and wrap the roll up with the dough...
slice the roll with your super duper sushi knife (you have one, right??)
then lay out in a pan to bake at 350 degrees for like 10 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown :)
So there you have it!!
what I'm most proud of about all this.. is that i took something in my mind, and really followed through.. and it came out awesome. and i got to share a piece of my ingenuity with my great friends and loved ones on a special occasion, and that is definitely worth being thankful for.
So Happy Thanksgiving!!!
What video game is your personal Game of the Year?
Submitted by SimpleNate.
ingredients:
- a can o pinto beans
- one avocado [Of course, if you're me, you use two. yes even though its supposed to be POOR chica ingredients, i never hold out on good ol aguacate]
- cheese. i used the crumbly Mexican cheese... i cant remember what its called... queso ranchero?
- tortilla chips from the bottom of the bag [ the stuff people either throw away, or shake into their mouths to enjoy every last bit o goodness!] they should be flavored, like nacho doritos... i used the lime n salt kind.
- salsa. i used tapatilla
optional ingredients:
- rice
- crema
- chorizo
- corn
how to make:
- boil the beans
- dice the avocado
- crumble the cheese
- crunch the chips to itty bitty pieces, if necessary.
- when beans are done, drain and put into mixing bowl with avocado and cheese.
- stir in chips and mix for consistency. [ avocado usually sticks together, so mix well! ]
- sprinkle salsa on top
i tend to do this random pulling together of food when i'm hungry, board, and not excited about clothing myself to fight the Chicago elements... so if any more concoctions come up good, ill be sure to report!
if you try this recipe, lemme know... id love to hear how it went!
Recent Comments
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Hieronymus said:
The only original song in Moulin Rouge is the weakest song - Nature Boy, written by Luhrmann & Armstrong (the... read more
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Karitas said:
[das ist gut]i must report that i tried to post this from my Wii :) but it kept saying the post was... read more
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TheFemGeek said:
[this is good]Yeah I love this song too. Hey check out this site for some interesting facts about the song, Nature Boy... read more
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Alec said:
[this is good]Sweet. I know a non-profit that just might be interested in this site... Thanks! read more
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I'm sure there could be quite a few more. As a web developer, one of the ones I thought of... read more
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