Oprah, Hip-hop, and "the poets"

While I greatly respect Oprah Winfrey for what she has accomplished and what she represents, I generally do not connect with her show as an African US American woman, concerned with issues pertaining to social justice and self-development. I am not insinuating that she does not address or care about these issues (how could I given her immense contribution to South Africa and the like?), but I often get the feeling that within a one hour span of time (with plenty commercial time) she is appeasing or explaining things to a largely middle/middle-upper class audience of white women who are subconsciously assumed to be the norm. So that even if there are shows highlighting topics of importance to me, like the recent post-Imus controversy inspired hip-hop forum or the self image of children of color it is presented in a matter that barely skims the surface for me.

My fellow Spelmanites, our ADW indoctrination left me feeling a little more than enlightened. My standards are incredibly high. And most attempts at race or gender talk on tv leave me wanting.

When Oprah hosted a sort of hip-hop forum a while back, I wish that she would have included folks like Dr. Beverly Guy-Sheftall, MC Lyte, Kevin Powell, and Jean Grae to name a few. Not to mention those super articulate Spelman alumnae like she who fights misogyny with poetry, she who dismantles interlocking systems of oppression, she who keeps it real cool, or she who has the ovaries to cut Oprah off if interrupted (Oprah, I love you but I'm talking . . .). I would have also changed the seating arrangements by not putting women on the periphery.

pe·riph·er·y from dictionary.com
1. the external boundary of any surface or area.
2. the external surface of a body.
3. the edge or outskirts, as of a city or urban area. (oh ye gentrified spaces . . .)
4. the relatively minor, irrelevant, or superficial aspects of the subject in
question: The preliminary research did not, of course, take me beyond the periphery of my problem.
5. Anatomy. the area in which nerves end. (hehe!)

So maybe we could have heard more critical thinking about the matrix of domination and how analyzing hierarchies of oppression can awaken us to our own personal responsibility, instead of stupid stuff about poets reflecting social ills. Russell please.

Owwwww mami's body is banging, man, she got it, man, she does it all
She gets it popping with no hands, I'll make it pour
I'll make it rain on 'em I'll lay a game to 'em
I'm gassing misses to tattoo my name on 'em
Gotta get that baby love, gotta get my paper up
Gotta suspect me, exactly test this crack and want a ring on us
And you know what it is, yo, it's them powder kids
And we know how 2 bizz, so we don't give a shit.
--excerpt from Make It Rain (on dem hoes dat iz)

Yes Fat Joe and Lil'Wayne are as profound as Neruda, Rumi, Marti and Hughes. More on the self image of children show later. Till then Rain on dem hoes y Viva la revolucion!