Visiting Artist Experience At Wexner - Day Two

I spent much of the second day of my visiting-artist residency at the Wexner Center (Tuesday, July 30) as a "microphone fiend," to quote the lyrics of the classic hip-hop track by Eric B. and Rakim.

I spent a couple of hours in the Wexner's sound booth re-recording narration for the documentary I'm putting the finishing touches on, Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring.  

I've always been a huge music fan, so it was kind of cool getting to "rock the mic" - although I couldn't sing my way out of a paper bag! 

Recording the narration is an interesting experience, especially since I've always had a love/hate relationship with my voice. Sometimes I wish my voice weren't so deep and distinctive, but I guess the upshot is I can use it for projects like this. 

Sometimes it pays to sound like a two-pack-a-day smoker, even though I've never smoked a cigarette...

Visiting Artist Experience At Wexner - Day One

One of the major projects I've been working on for the past few years is a documentary titled Lady Wrestler: The Amazing, Untold Story of African-American Women in the Ring. The story chronicles courageous black women who battled racism and sexism to become world wrestling champions in the '50s, '60s and '70s - several of whom still live in Columbus.

To put the finishing touches on this labor of love, I'm really grateful to be able to spend this week as a visiting artist at the Wexner Center for the Arts on the campus of The Ohio State University, my alma mater. 

The first day (Monday, July 29) was mainly spent getting settled and transferring audio and video files from the Final Cut Pro video-editing software on my laptop to Wexner's professional editing suite in the Avid format, which is the industry standard for film, television, etc.

It's really exciting to be able to be in this laboratory of creativity. 

Zimmerman Verdict Has (Re)Ignited National Conversation on Race

Like the rest of the nation, I've been pondering the verdict in the George Zimmerman trial. This case, and the ongoing question of whether Zimmerman was motivated by race during that ill-fated encounter with Trayvon Martin in February 2012, has brought the complexity of race in America (back) to the forefront.

When it comes to race, this nation seems to take a step forward and then two steps back. The nation elected, and then reelected an African-American president. But now stands sharply divided along racial lines in how we view the Zimmerman verdict. When President Barack Obama was elected in '08, there was a lot of media hype about the U.S. having magically become a "post-racial" society overnight. I didn't buy into that wishful thinking for one moment. 

From my perspective, it seems inconceivable that an armed adult could fatally shoot an unarmed minor and face no legal consequences - regardless of race. 

Although I grew up in an interracial family with three white stepparents and four biracial siblings, went to a predominantly white private school during my formative years and have always had friends of different races, I'm confused by many of the racial issues that have been raised by the George Zimmerman case.

There is a long-held stereotype that "one drop of black blood makes you black." This phrase has primarily been applied to biracial people who have one black parent and one white parent, yet are automatically considered to be "black."

In Zimmerman's case, does one drop of white blood make you white? His mother is Hispanic and his father is white. So does Zimmerman identify as white? (Of course, Hispanics can be of any race, which further complicates the question.)

If Zimmerman had his mother's Hispanic surname, would he have been perceived by the nearly all-white jury as "exotic," "other" and, therefore, dangerous?

The media is often quick to lump "black" and "brown" people into the same "underprivileged" category. So is Zimmerman not "brown"? Does he get some kind of special "hall pass" from "brown-ness" because his father's white? I have biracial and light-skinned African-American relatives who are Zimmerman's shade - and even lighter!

And what if Zimmerman were a dark-skinned Latino like, say, Sammy Sosa? Would we all be seeing this case differently?

The irony is that there are many areas of the country in which Zimmerman himself would be profiled. If the so-called neighborhood watch volunteer encountered the border police in Texas or Arizona, would he be perceived as just another law-abiding white American, or would he be asked to show proof of citizenship?

This case has certainly raised more questions than it has answered.

As the 50th anniversary of the March on Washington approaches, I wonder what Dr. Martin Luther King would say about all this. One thing he might do is encourage people to not only pray for the Martin family, but for the Zimmerman family as well: Pray that if Zimmerman did act with racial animus when he shot Trayvon Martin, that he see the error of his ways, have a genuine change of heart and maybe even become an advocate himself for healing and unity. 

Since the Zimmerman verdict, I've been moved to see peaceful protest rallies attended by people of all colors. If there's any good that has come out of this whole ordeal, it's that it has (re)opened the conversation about race in America.

CW's 'L.A. Complex' Is A Summer Show I'll Miss

 

 

One of the shows I’ll miss this summer TV season is The L.A. Complex, which ran last summer on the CW and was one of the best shows on TV. With its primary setting being an apartment complex centered around a swimming pool, The L.A. Complex was reminiscent of Melrose Place, only with acting that was a tad less over the top and storylines that were more grounded in reality.

The hour-long drama followed the lives of several aspiring young actors, musicians and writers who are trying to make it big in Hollywood. Of course, there were plenty of love triangles, backbiting and endless drama to spice things up.

One of the best “amenities” about The L.A. Complex was its diverse casting. One of the major plot lines involved an African-American rapper who was struggling with his sexuality. The rapper was also trying to reconnect with his long-lost father, who had recently been released from prison and was trying to turn his life around. Also, the owner of the apartment complex appeared, at least, to be Hispanic or Arabic. 

Other characters included a young woman who was raising her little brother, a child star wannabe; a struggling actress who signs on to do a reality show similar to VH-1's Celebrity Sober House and has to battle the manipulative producers trying to invent phony conflicts between the residents; and an up-and-coming actor who agreed to fake a relationship with a famous actress who wants resuscitate her career by staying in the tabloids.

The L.A. Complex deserved a renewal for another season, and at the very least could have served as an interesting summer replacement series for the CW each year. Its premise would have lent itself to a rotating cast, and maybe cameos by real-life rappers, singers and actors could have boosted its ratings. But the network “powers that be” opted for an eviction. Oh well…

A Few Thoughts On The Tragedy In Boston

A few thoughts on the tragedy in Boston:

This one hit home with me because I'm a runner. I've never done a marathon, but I've done the Columbus (Ohio) half-marathon and a few 5- and 10ks. When a race starts, I always get a surge of energy from being surrounded by people - a "wall of humanity."

The morning after the Boston Marathon bombing, instead of doing my usual indoor cardio workout, I felt like getting out and breathing fresh air. So I went for a run on a route near my house that I've been doing for years. It felt like a tribute run, of sorts, for the people affected by the events in Boston.

Whoever is responsible for this tragedy, domestic or international,  obviously wants to disrupt our way of life. So it seems to me that one of the best things we can do is continue going about our daily routines.

And I can think of no better way to start the day than with a run.

 

My Funny, Awkward Moment With Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Junot Diaz

I had a funny, awkward moment with Pulitzer Prize-winning author Junot Diaz when he came to speak at OSU on March 19.

Diaz appeared as part of Ohio State’s President and Provost's Diversity Lecture Series. As a Dominican-American who writes stories in which characters of all different races interact, he certainly fit the bill.

As a fellow writer, I enjoyed hearing Diaz speaking about his writing process and reading passages from his latest book, an engaging short-story collection titled This Is How You Lose Her.

I was fortunate enough to be able to do a phone interview with Diaz for the Call and Post newspaper before he spoke at Ohio State. Since winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2008 for his debut novel, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, Diaz has been a very busy man and I was pleasantly surprised that he made himself available for an interview.

When I emailed Diaz through his website, I was amazed that he replied almost immediately and said he could do the interview. He quite generously offered to do the interview upon returning from a trip abroad to Japan and a full day of teaching English lit at MIT in Boston, so we spoke at 11 o’clock one night. I was a bit groggy and had a little trouble formulating my questions, but he answered each question thoroughly and intelligently.

I went up and introduced myself to Diaz when he got done speaking at the event at OSU's Student Union, but because the line was so long, I didn’t get to converse with him.

The funny, awkward moment happened like this: I noticed that Diaz and I were wearing the exact same black peacoat and tried to joke about it by telling him, “Nice jacket.” He was so distracted, signing books for the dozens of people waiting, that he didn’t notice we were dressed alike and didn’t pick up on the joke. Oh, well…

Meeting a Pulitzer Prize winner was an enjoyable experience nonetheless.

My Totally Awkward Black History Moment

  

I really enjoyed attending the kickoff of Ohio State’s United Black World Month celebration on Monday, Feb. 4. The keynote speaker was Dr. Steve Perry, renowned African-American educator and author. He gained the national spotlight when he was recently featured in CNN’s “Black in America 2” documentary for his revolutionary leadership style at a magnet school he founded in Hartford, Conn.

Dr. Perry is a riveting speaker whose oratory style combines the soulful inflections of a Baptist preacher and the hip-hop phrases and street mannerisms of a rapper. Like controversial education reform advocate Michelle Rhee, Dr. Perry has a tell-it-like-it-is, take-no-prisoners management style. It’s his way or the highway. He’s not afraid to fire teachers and take on unions for the sake of producing better results for his students.

The OSU event with Dr. Perry was well-organized, with delicious food to boot. My only complaint would be that after Dr. Perry spoke for close to an hour and received a well-deserved standing ovation, he inexplicably took only one question during a Q&A with the audience.

I was disappointed, since I was there covering the event for the Call and Post newspaper and really wanted to ask him a question: If he were to reach a point in his career where he no longer wanted to be a full-time principal and chose to move on to devote more time to extracurricular activities, so to speak, like his commentating gig on CNN and television show “Save My Son” on TV One, would his school survive without his hands-on leadership?

After his speech, Dr. Perry graciously posed for photos with numerous people who came up and gushed over him. He has a rock-star vibe about him and people – women, especially - were acting very excited to be near him.

I waited for the long line of photo and autograph seekers to die down, then approached him and asked my question. Unfortunately, I didn’t formulate my question as succinctly as I would have liked and it took me a while to spit it out. When I finally asked if his school could survive without him, Dr. Perry simply replied, “Yes, I think it can.”

I wanted Dr. Perry to elaborate, but our conversation was interrupted when people holding cameras decided to start snapping photos, and Dr. Perry turned toward them to pose.

I really wasn’t there to do the groupie thing and pose for photos; I was there with my reporter hat on and wanted to ask him a perfectly legitimate, journalistic question. However, there was really nothing I could do in that moment but turn toward the camera as well.

I had noticed that with other men who asked Dr. Perry to pose for photos with them, he gave them a soul-handshake when the camera flash went off. Anyone who knows me knows that soul-handshaking is not really my style, so instead I put my hand on Dr. Perry’s shoulder. Bad idea.

When I put my hand on his shoulder, Dr. Perry didn’t reciprocate by placing his hand on my shoulder, as is the custom, one would think. I picked up a vibe from him that said he wasn’t going to extend contact to a male he’s not related to unless it’s a soul-handshake or a “thug hug.” Judging from Dr. Perry’s cool demeanor, I assumed I was supposed to follow his lead, so I just stood there with my hands dangling at my sides and a bewildered expression. Dr. Perry is shorter than me, so I had to crouch slightly to make sure the top of my head wouldn’t be cut off by the camera.

The resulting photo makes me want to laugh. I look as awkward as I felt. Instead of a respected educator and an inquisitive journalist, Dr. Perry and I look like some kind of academic hip-hop duo – like a preppy version of Kid n Play.

To make matters worse, I really wasn’t dressed right. Dr. Perry sports sharp three-piece suits like a minister of a mega-church. I had on a decent enough outfit – a tan button-up shirt and black slacks – but I was wearing tennis shoes because I had to slog through the dirty February snow to get to the Ohio Union from the side street where I parked.

Next to the cleaner-than-a-board-of-health Dr. Perry, I looked like a total dork in dress slacks and tennis shoes. I should have brought a bag to throw my dress shoes in and changed into them as soon as I got to the event. Oh well, lesson learned...