YES THEY DID - OPEN THREAD

CONGRATULATIONS TO BARACK OBAMA FOR HIS DECISIVE WIN

Today, I am extremely proud to be an American -- we are the most vibrant, diverse, resilient people in the world. Last night, America showed the rest of the world how a peaceful, bloodless change of government can be possible, even with sharp differences in ideology. We are an amazing country!

My condolences to John McCain supporters; let us remember that we are all striving for the same thing: a better tomorrow for ourselves, our children, and the world. It is time to lay down our swords and shields, and come to a place of negotiation and understanding.

I have so MUCH to say about what this election means to me as a black person, as a woman, as an immigrant, as a taxpayer, and as an entrepreneur... but I will save those posts for another day. This is a day of celebration for some of us and a day of rest and reflection for the rest of us.

Now that we know the new political landscape, black women can begin to intelligently plan a specific roadmap to our own economic, political, and social advancement. I can not wait to do my part.

What do you think that the Barack Obama Presidency says to Black Americans, to the rest of America, or to the rest of the world? Take a moment to register your thoughts.

Black Women Vote - A Day of Greatness

Election Day: open thread

It's 5:16am, and I am showered, dressed, and headed to the election polls where I will serve as a challenger. I just got a call informing me that there is already a long line at my polling place. However, I am relaxed, focused, and prepared for anything.

This is it. My sisters: I will not parrot the mandate for black women to simply "make history" today, because let's face it: American history has been extremely unkind to us.

Instead, I raise my voice to challenge and implore Black women to CHANGE THE COURSE OF HISTORY, bend it to your will, and set a new tone for black women in America -- right NOW. VOTE.

Vote on behalf of our ancestral mothers who were denied that right. Vote for our daughters who depend on our success for their own survival. Vote in proxy for the black women in the Congo, in Darfur, and around the world, who depend on our foreign policy for relief. But most of all, vote for yourself: our collective future depends on the outcome.

A few important notes:

No electioneering at the polling place.

-It's a felony to do or say anything that might influence someone's vote while you are standing in line. Do not talk about the pro's or con's of any candidate, even on your cell phone. Don't wear anything that refers to a candidate or political party. (If you forget and wear a campaign shirt, go to the bathroom and turn it inside out instead of going home to change).

Be accurate

- Double check your vote before and after submitting it.

- If your eligibility is challenged, GET A PROVISIONAL VOTE, and don't leave without voting.

Take your daughters (and sons) into the voting booth with you

- You be shocked at how many white men do this with their sons on election day. It's a smart move and we should step up to similarly teach our children the importance of civic responsibility.

Be sure of your proper election place before you leave home

- For heaven's sake don't stand for hours in the wrong line! (Sorry to be so basic, but many people make this mistake)

Bring proper Identification

- A drivers' license, passport, or other government issued ID is always sufficient. Some states allow for utility bills, etc. Check beforehand to be sure.



What advice or encouragement can you give to black women today?

This is an open thread for all Voters: Please post your election thoughts here... I will be serving as an election challenger, but will be able to check back periodically as the day progresses. Let's usher in this new era... together.

Listen to Shecodes on NPR this morning

Wow, we just had a very lively discussion on NPR's News and Notes with Farai Chedeya. I did my best to be demure, genteel and lady-like... but somehow, I ended up getting irritated and calling Kevin Ross out schoolyard-style (kind of like, "Meet me behind the playground at 3:00 and we'll settle this!")

We were arguing about, of all people, DL Hughley's newly minted minstrel show on CNN.

Now I had planned to completely ignore that show, because I already knew it would be comprised of the same tired, predictable cadre of pimps, 'hoes, and the requisite 'black people so ign'at' references that he and his cronies crank out. I had no intention of blogging about that nonsense! Other blogs like Racialicious and WhatAboutOurDaughters have said everything I was thinking (or so I thought!)

However when my man on NPR started to describe DL Hughley as a cross between Father of the Year and St Francis of Assissi on national radio, I had to break down and tell it like it really is. Sorry.

I don't remember everything I said, but it was something to the effect that DL Hughley is a one-trick pony who doesn't have the talent or the critical thinking skill to deliver witty political commentary. His jokes are comprised mostly of insults and hackneyed, overused, black stereotypes.

Listen to the show here.

I really respect Kevin's opinion, so he might be right about Hughley being a nice guy on the private sphere (stop snorting!) But in my opinion, DL Hughley publicly behaves like just another barnacle on the underbelly of the Black Community, feeding off of our sewage, trying to sell his own twice-processed excrement back to us as if it's caviar.

I had a little chat with the Field Negro today as he walked me toward my car, and I recall saying that these comics call themselves comedians, but fail to realize that it is THEY, THEMSELVES, ARE THE JOKE that CNN, Time Warner, etc is telling.

Now Kevin Ross of 3 Brothers and a Sister. is a fantastic blogger and great guy. I really like him and he gave me some wonderful advice and encouragement when I first started blogging. So I was only play-fighting with him in particular -- but my opinion on this matter is deadly serious. I do not apologize.

So yes, bottom-feeders like DL Hughley have a constitutional right to crank out their drivel, but they should at least do the world a courtesy by painting on their blackface beforehand so that the world can distinguish them better from the rest of us.

McCain's presidential win traced back to Shecodes' absence

She's baaaack...

Well, I've done heard it all! For the past three months I have been continually coaxed, cajoled, prayed for, scolded, threatened, and guilt-tripped by readers, friends, frienemies, and downright enemies trying to get me to abandon my sabbatical from my sabbatical (otherwise known as 'working') in order to get back to blogging! Uncle! You guys win!

Online APB's were sent out, 2:00am phone calls were made. Y'all are some PERSISTENT women and men, lol! I love that about us, though.

I missed the blogosphere tremendously... after all, what kind of political blogger could STOP blogging during the most exciting political period in her life? Suffice it to say that real-life campaigning, one major life event, and the fact that I have a sibling who is running for re-election forced me to become uncharacteristically quiet on the blog scene (and the internet in general) for a minute.

However, it was this video, sent to me from Aaron from A Political Season, that had me scrambling to blow dust off of my computer keyboard:

Never let it be said that I singlehandedly destroyed the delicate balance of power in the free world. I won't be made responsible for plunging my beloved US of A into four more years of grief, angst, and corporate welfare!


Shecodes is officially present, rested, and reporting for duty.

On a more serious note:

We have seven more days until election day. I urge all people -- and black women in particular -- to avoid making mistakes that put us in this perilous position in the first place.

Our culture of short-sightedness, our predilection for quick fixes, and our limited interest in politics between election cycles has allowed counterfeit leadership to run us into this ditch.

If we are to change the course that America is on, simply voting on November 4th is not enough.

America is in deep doo-koo because too many of us are completely disinterested in politics unless there is an election looming close by. We remain asleep at the wheel; too trusting, too busy, and too gullible to hold those who represent us accountable.

What is done can not be magically undone. As American citizens, we must and will pay a heavy price for the folly that has gone on in Washington, and so will our children. Moving forward, let us resolve to remain involved in politics long after the ticker-tape has been swept up after Inauguration Day.

Blessings to all, and see you tomorrow.

SHECODES WILL RETURN IN ONE WEEK