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The One Brown Girl Challenge



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Brown Girl Heal Thyself.
I don't feel well today. In fact, for the past 3 days, I've been sleeping off and on (more on than off) just so that I wouldn't have to feel bad. The only reason I'm blogging is to try to get some normalcy back. I think I have some kind of funky bug jumping around in my belly. (And I don't think he's gone either although he appears to be resting at the moment.)  I won't tell you what my symptoms are because that would be TTMI (totally too much information). Let's just say I'll be glad when it's over.
I don't get sick much although I have certainly done the dance with illness. It's been 5 years since I got super sick. And it was no bug in the belly either. It was the kind of sick that leaves you stunned, confused and traumatized. The kind of sick that leaves you in the hospital for 30 days (!) with a rare auto-immune disorder (in my DNA no less) that causes renal failure (yes, renal failure) and subjects you to dialysis, chemo, pheresis, blood transfusions, psychological trauma and more. The kind of sick I never want to will be again. The kind of sick that has miraculously disappeared...which is another story entirely.
But here's what I've learned about not feeling well:  As individuals, we play an important role in our own recovery. Whether it's a belly bug or something more serious, we all have the ability to play a part in healing ourselves with positive thoughts, a positive attitude and positive steps. And while I'm not saying a positive attitude is a cure-all for all life-threatening illnesses, I am living proof that positive thinking can have a positive impact. So the challenge today is to help heal yourself.  Whether physical or psychological, don't succumb to what ails you by becoming a victim. If you're sick and you need medical attention, go to the doctor/a healer, think positive, fight, and choose to be the victor instead. The power is in each of us. Believe it.
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It's Foodie Friday! How About Some Mexican Salsa on your African Lion Burger?



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Truth:  The only reason I'm blogging about salsa for Foodie Friday is because I absolutely adore the smiling Brown Girl spinning around in her flamenco outfit (à la Carmen Miranda) while chopping up veggies (like a ninja!) in the salsa commercial above.  And even though salsa has its origins in Mexico, and Carmen Miranda was of Portugese descent living in Brazil, and Spanish flamenco has nothing to do with salsa, I love the commercial!  LOL.  To be honest, I really didn't think I'd be able to find a salsa commercial online, but I guess everything is on the Web these days. 
What I probably should be dedicating this blog post to is the restaurant in Arizona that is serving lion burgers (sigh) in honor of the World Cup currently being played in South Africa.  And without getting into a long conversation about being vegan/vegetarian (which I'm not, but which I frequently think about), I just want to say that as an animal lover, the image I have in my head of a lion being slaughtered for any reason - let alone food - bothers me...a lot.  It doesn't help that I have a mini-lion (also known as a cat) named Miles who is the king of his own backyard jungle and the mango apple of my eye.
Soooo...here's a recipe I found on Oprah.com for grilled fish with mango salsa (because I love mangos too!) and here's a link to the whole story behind the lion burger protest from CNN Money.  Enjoy the Brown Girl commercial and the salsa, but not the lions, okay?  Let's perhaps save them insteadWould you eat a lion burger?
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Brown Girl Royalty (Part II)



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Ever hear of Princess Angela of Liechtenstein?  A Panamanian Brown Girl of African descent, Princess Angela is the only black woman in a reigning European dynasty.  In January of 2000, she married Prince Maximilian of Liechtenstein, a gentleman 10 years her junior (go, Princess Angela!) and they have one son - Prince Alfons Constantin Maria born in 2001. 
Prior to marrying her prince, Princess Angela (née Angela Gisela Brown) studied fashion at New York's Parsons School of Design and later worked as a New York fashion designer and then as a fashion director for American designer Adrienne Vittadini.  (I remember reading somewhere that Princess Angela designed her own wedding dress.)  Since Hawaii is the only U.S. state that was once a kingdom with its own monarchy, it's kinda fun to see a Panamanian New Yorker do a Grace Kelley and live out her very own modern day Brown Girl fairy tale. 
And although she has definitely flown much further under the radar than Grace Kelley did when she married Rainier III, Prince of Monaco (pictured right), I don't really blame her, do you?  I know I've asked this before, but would you want to live your life under the scrutiny of the public?  I know I wouldn't.  But I do look forward to reading her memoirs should she ever write them.  As my friend Angela (no relation LOL) over at Melting Pot Moms said: "[I] would love to know the behind-the-scenes story...can't help but wonder how much this rocked the royal boat!"  Yanno?!?!?  Until we get the scoop, I say Cheers to Her Serene Highness, Princess Angela of Liechtenstein!
 

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Brown Girl Royalty (Part I)



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Here we go with my imagination again, but please bear with me.  
Yes, I wanted to be a princess when I was growing up.  And yes, Cinderella was my girl.  Even my beloved mother-in-law, whose grandmother was a marquess in Belgium before the war, used to call me The Contessa (not so sure I should be admitting this...LOL).  And so you can imagine how over the moon I was when Walt Disney Productions created an ethnically diverse multicultural rainbow cast for its 1997 television version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella with a Brown Girl named Brandy at the helm.  (And yes, I watch the movie and sing the songs...um...frequently.)  And as I watch, my vivid imagination actually plays itself out in front of me on the screen as people of all cultural backgrounds dance and sing and laugh and cry.  And what makes it just as much fun to watch is that many of the rainbow coalition of dancing and singing people are...you guessed it...royalty.  OMG, "the Prince is giving a ball!"
Imagination aside, there are some real deal Brown Girl princesses out there in the world and after a bit of fumbling through my bookcase (I found Elizabeth of Toro: The Odyssey of an African Princess on a back shelf!), and some online research (and discovery!), I found out about the story of Sara Forbes Bonetta (pictured right), a West African Egbado tribal princess (obviously re-named) who was orphaned in inter-tribal warfare at the age of eight and rescued from a human sacrifice by a captain of the British Royal Navy who convinced an African King to let him give her to Queen Victoria of England.  Wow.  Raised in both England and Sierra Leone, Sara was ultimately raised under the care of Queen Victoria as Victoria's god-daughter.  I am so intrigued that I am ordering the book that tells this amazing story - At Her Majesty's Request: An African Princess in Victorian England - right now, maintenant, pronto, quick-fast-and-in-a-hurry-okay-it's-done.  I can't wait to read it!  I also found more cool info about Hawaiian queens and princesses, a Mayan princess, a Portugese princess in Brazil, a Zulu princess in South Africa and more!  Always fascinated by the whole royalty thing, I think I might even have to do a Brown Girl Princess Series one of these days real soon.  Ever imagine yourself a princess?  (Whispering:  You can tell me.)
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It's Foodie Friday! How About a Giant Snail?



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I eat conch and I eat escargot, so I've been trying to wrap my mind around whether or not I could eat the giant sea whelk (think snail) that is the subject of this Travel Channel video and is the norm in Phuket, Thailand.  Maybe if I didn't know what it was.  (I said maybe.)  How about you?  Are you adventurous with your food?
Here's an interesting Thai cultural food fact:  After a meal is over, there is no such thing as dispensing with leftovers. Throwing food away enrages the Thai Goddess of Rice Mae Po-Sop, a female deity who watches over the people, ensuring everyone has enough to eat.  Many Thai believe that bad luck or even widespread famine may then ensue.
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Forever Tango



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I can't help myself.  First flamenco from Spain, and now tango from Buenos Aires.  I'm hooked on dance.  Always have been.  Always will be. 
Tango dance and tango music originated in Buenos Aires, Argentina and ultimately spread to the rest of the world.  Known early on as tango criollo, today there are many tango dance styles, including Argentine Tango, Uruguayan Tango, Ballroom tango (American and International styles), Finnish tango and vintage tangos. What many consider to be the authentic tango is that closest to that originally danced in Argentina and Uruguay, though other types of tango have developed into mature dances in their own right.  In the early years of the 20th century, dancers and orchestras from Buenos Aires travelled to Europe, and the first European tango craze took place in Paris, soon followed by London, Berlin, and other capitals. Towards the end of 1913, tango hit New York in the USA, and Finland. [Source:  Wiki] 
I might be dating myself, but before there was Dancing with the Stars and So You Think You Can Dance, and before Richard Gere danced the tango with Jennifer Lopez, before Antonio Banderas danced the tango in Take the Lead and before anyone ever thought up Le Tango de Roxanne from Moulin Rouge, there were (and still remain) ballroom competitions and exhibitions that I watched faithfully every week.  And as is the norm, I always imagine myself as one half of a dynamically passionate dancing duo creating drama with every move I make.  (Do not begrudge me my fantasies, thankyouverymuch.) 
My fantasies aside, and in spite of all of the beautiful tango I have witnessed, I am moved most by my favorite tango performer Carlos Gavito (1942-2005) and his partner and star of Forever TangoMarcela Duran.  I'll just let their steamy tango speak for itself.  Enjoy!  (For Carlos Gavito's biography, see Carlos Gavito Su Vida, Su Tango.)
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Spotlight on One Brown Girl



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I remember the first time I saw the Brown and Proud poster (pictured left) and I also remember that I had two completely different reactions, one right after the other.  First, I thought "How cool is that?" only seconds later to think "What a shame."  The artwork was fiercely cool (not to mention up my Brown Girl alley) and represented my feelings of pride exactamente; but the reason the artwork existed in the first place was shameful and painful and like millions of others, made me fiercely angry.  On April 23, 2010, Governor Jan Brewer of Arizona signed the nation’s toughest bill on illegal immigration (SB 1070) into law with an aim to identify, prosecute and deport illegal immigrants.  It didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that there would be a resurgence in racial profiling, among other injustices.  (Deep, deep sigh.)  Millions of protestors around the nation (including the President) took to the streets, media outlets, and their art forms to protest.  Melanie Cervantes was one of them.
Melanie Cervantes is the Xicana activist-artist that created the Brown and Proud poster that you have likely seen in protests across the nation.  Her role, as she sees it, is to translate the hopes and dreams of justice movements into images that agitate and inspire.  (It certainly got me inspired.)  Melanie’s work includes black and white illustrations, paintings, installations and paper stencils, but she is best know for her prolific production of political screen prints and posters. Employing vibrant colors and hand-drawn illustrations, her work moves those viewed as marginal to the center -- featuring powerful youth, elders, women, and queer and indigenous peoples.  Her most revered mentor is her partner and fellow printmaker Jesus Barraza, with whom she formed Dignidad Rebelde, a collaborative graphic arts project that translates stories of struggle and resistance into artwork that can be put back into the hands of the communities who inspire it.
Curious as always, I asked Melanie how and why she came up with the Brown and Proud graphic and she was pleased to oblige:  "In order to create a message of cultural affirmation and pride, in a climate where being brown means you are a target of suspicion and abuse, I created this design using the slogan Brown and Proud. The illustration I created of the main character in my poster is a portrait of a young Xicana from Oakland (CA) named Leslie. I also wanted to use a stylized butterfly that is based on glyphs found in Azcapotzalco, an area of what is now Mexico City. I used the butterflies to symbolize how migration is reflected in the natural world. The "Todos Somos Arizona" sub-slogan was influenced by the collectively focused Zapatista slogans such as Todos Somos Ramona. Our world view is heavily influenced by the uprising of the Zapatistas social movement against the rise of Neo-liberal politics."

I typically steer clear of posting about my political point of view, but I'm all over this.  Isn't Melanie fierce?  Someone needs to do a portrait of her...
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Flamenco of Spain



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Last week, I almost bought tickets to see a flamenco performance that is taking place tonight.  I've been thinking about what I'll be missing and realize now I should've clicked the Buy Now button when I had the chance to get great seats.  I look forward to going to another performance sometime very soon.  And since I won't be able to make it tonight, I figured I'd show my appreciation for this beautiful Spanish art form right here on OBG.  
Flamenco is a style of music and dance which is considered part of the culture of Spain, although it is actually native to only one region: Andalusia in southern Spain.  Interestingly, the origins of flamenco are debatable; but what is certain is that the Golden Age of Flamenco occurred in Spain between 1869-1910 when flamenco developed rapidly in cafés cantantes, a new type of venue offering ticketed public performances. Flamenco´s most intense form, cante jondo, expressing deep feelings, dates from this period. And in the cafés cantantes, the art of flamenco dance rose to new heights as the dancers became the major attraction and the art of flamenco guitar was born.  
I didn't know this (oooo, I get excited when I learn!), but flamenco occurs in three settings:  

  • The traditional juerga, an informal, spontaneous gypsy gathering (rather like a jazz jam session) with the cantaores (singers) being the heart and soul of the performance. Similarly, a Peña Flamenca is a meeting place or grouping of Flamenco musicians or artists; and tablaos are establishments that developed during the sixties of the twentieth century throughout Spain replacing the "café cantante" (like a cabaret). 
  • The professional concert is more formal. A traditional singing performance has only a singer and one guitar, while a dance concert usually includes two or three guitars, one or more singers (singing in turns, as in traditional flamenco singers always sing solo), and one or more dancers. One of the singers may play the cajon, and all performers will play palmas when not required for other duties. Alternatively, there may be a dedicated cajon player and one or more palmeras. 
  • Finally there is the theatrical presentation of flamenco, which uses flamenco technique and music but is closer in presentation to a ballet performance, with musicians in the orchestra pit, scenery, lighting etc.  This is where I would've been tonight, although I would absolutely love, love, love to experience hanging out at a juerga with some Spanish gypsies!
Video above is from the movie (1995) Flamenco by Carlos Saura.


The pretty photo at the top left of this post is of Belén Maya, a famous flamenco dancer.  OMG.  I so want to be her right now, just so I can wear a fabulous flamenco dress and dance with all of that passion (smiling).  Ooo, the drama.  I love this stuff. 
[Sources:  Wiki & donquijote.org]
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A Brown Girl Do-Over



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I found an image of a beautiful Martiniquan Brown Girl on an old OBG post and thought she was too beautiful not to have her own text, particularly since Martinique is one of my favorite islands (and also because June is Caribbean American Heritage Month).  So this is what is called a Brown Girl Do-Over.  =)  Click here for more.  I feel much better now. 

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Spotlight on One Brown Girl



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Indian-American Brown Girl Anamika Veeramani
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Can you spell?  I'd like to think I'm pretty good at it, but I'm not sure I could win a national spelling bee.  Not with words like consuetude (an established custom), phillumenist (a matchbook collector) and juvia (a brazil nut).  But a few days ago on June 4, 2010, 14 year old Indian-American Brown Girl Anamika Veeramani of Cleveland, Ohio spelled those words (and more) and ultimately won Scripps 2010 National Spelling Bee in Washington, D.C., the third Indian-American in a row to take the title. In fact, Anamika is the eighth Indian-American winner in the last 12 years, a winning streak that began when Nupur Lala won in 1999 and was featured in the Academy Award nominee Spellbound (see documentary trailer below). 
Curious about the word Anamika spelled to take home the trophy and $40,000 in cash and prizes?  Well, it was stromuhr - a rheometer (laboratory device) designed to measure the amount and speed of blood flow through an artery.  Yep.  I had to look it up. 
Click here for the full story. 
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The One Brown Girl Challenge



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Stay focused on your focus.
Whether in business or personal interactions, I would venture to say that the easiest way to accomplish something is to jump ship and get on someone else's bandwagon as opposed to staying on your own.  Why?  Because someone else is doing all of the thinking, the planning and the execution.  What could get any easier than that?  But for those with their own solid vision, easy isn't always best.  It's just...I dunno...easy. 
I'm guilty of wanting to jump ship from time to time.  I surf the Web and Facebook pretty much every week looking for inspiration and interesting cultural tidbits for this blog and often find myself wishing I could be a part of every group or cause with a brilliant mission that is even remotely similar to mine.  I even get a little envious.  I kind of equate it to my childhood school days of wanting to be a part of The Cool Kids Group, without realizing (at first) that I could be My Own Cool Kid with my own brilliant vision and point of view.  (Thank goodness for independent thinking!  Thanks, Mom.)
So here I go again challenging myself to stay focused on my own focus; and to let others good ideas just remain the good ideas that they are so that I can continue to be inspired by them and do what I do the best way I know how to do it.  Whew.  (Long sentence.)  It isn't the easiest way; but it sure is cool.  ;-)
Ever have trouble staying focused on your focus?
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Happy World Oceans Day!



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I love the sea.  In fact, I grew up fantasizing fantasize about being a mermaid and feel absolutely no shame in this disclosure.  Yeah.  I know, I know.  =)
In addition to celebrating culture in the blogosphere on OneBrownGirl.com®, I am also the Executive Director of OBG Adventure Camps, travel and learning adventure excursions for girls ages 11-14.  Because of my love for the sea and sea life, and because of the lack of diversity on the waterfront,  OBG's multicultural camp adventures all typically take place in waterfront locations.  It is my genuine pleasure to play a part in youth development not only by encouraging environmental stewardship, but by showing girls the glory of our planet's oceans, lakes, streams, rivers, ponds and waterfalls with their mysterious inhabitants.  And so it makes sense that I would be excited (!) about World Oceans Day, a day honoring the world's oceans, celebrating the products the ocean provides, and appreciating its intrinsic value
Officially declared a celebratory day by the United Nations on June 8, 2009, the concept of World Oceans Day was proposed on June 8, 1992 by Canada at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and had been unofficially celebrated every year since then.  [Source:  Wiki]  And if you can't think of a reason to celebrate the ocean, consider this:  The world's ocean generates most of the oxygen we breathe, helps feed us, regulates our climate, cleans the water we drink, offers us a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines, and provides limitless inspiration!  [Source: theoceanproject.org] How much more significant can the ocean get than that!?
Side note:  In light of the overwhelming damage that the BP oil spill has brought about, the relevance of this celebratory day is not lost on me.  I also hope it is not lost on BP.
For more information about World Oceans Day, please click here.  And don't forget about BBC Warner's brilliant Oceans DVD and Disneynature's newly-released Oceans movie (see trailer below).  All three are a must-see!  Happy World Oceans Day!!!!
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It's Foodie Friday! Today is National Donut Day!



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I feel guilty writing this blog post.  (Well, sorta kinda, she blogged with a sheepish grin.)  Today is National Donut Day.  OMG.  That is SO unfair.  You see, I have a sweet tooth bigger than I care to admit and after last Friday's homage to cupcakes, I hadn't planned on torturing myself (or anyone else with a sugar addiction) with another post about (let's face it) refined sugar.  But since I didn't create the day, I'm going to get over myself and (whispering) go out and eat a donut.  If I were home in L.A, I'd just go on over to the iconic Randy's Donuts in Inglewood.  (Wondering if there is such a thing as an organic donut?)
In the meantime, it might interest you to know that National Donut Day is always celebrated on the first Friday of June each year and was created as a fundraiser by the Chicago Salvation Army in 1938 to honor the women who served donuts to soldiers during World War I.  Oh okay.  Now I don't feel so guilty.  =)  And even though it's an American celebration, donuts are worldwideItaly's donuts are called fritole; Montenegro - ustipci; Mexico - churro; Turkey - lokma; France - beignet; Germany - krapfen; Hungary – langos; India - balushai; and Netherlands - oliebollen.  What's your favorite donut?
BTW, both Krispy Kreme, Dunkin' Donuts, LaMar's and Shipley Donuts are offering free donuts today.  Gotta go!
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June is Caribbean American Heritage Month!



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I know I keep saying this, but Facebook is awesome.  With every click of the mouse, I learn something new every. single. day.  Today, I learned from a new Facebook friend and blogger Onika Pascal that June is Caribbean American Heritage Month (CAHM).  Who knew?  My grandfather (on my mom's side), a quiet blue-eyed man, was a White Bajan of Irish (maybe even Scottish) descent and my grandmother (not so quiet...LOL) was a Brown skinned Bajan-American beauty of African descent.  Likewise, my dad's side of the family is from Nassau, in the Bahamas.  So as an American of Caribbean descent, it's very cool to know that there is a special month set aside by the United States government that celebrates the richness of Caribbean culture. And rich it is; with Dutch, French, Spanish and British history and language. 
In its fifth year of celebration, CAHM was adopted in the House of Representatives in 2005 and put into law in 2006.  One of the coolest statements I read on the official CAHM Web site speaks to America's diversity:  "Through the commemoration of this month, we hope to ensure that America is reminded that its greatness lies in its diversity. Caribbean immigrants from founding father Alexander Hamilton (born on the British island of Nevis and raised on the Danish island of St. Croix and whose face is on the ten dollar bill), to journalist Malcolm Gladwell (of The New Yorker) have shaped the American dream."  (Emphasis and text added.)
I'm telling you - I absolutely LOVE learning.  (Just a little embarrassed that I went to Alexander Hamilton High School and didn't have a clue.)  Any Caribbean folks out there?
Interesting tidbit:  Check out Malcolm Gladwell's mother's book Brown Face, Big Master (Caribbean Classics).
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Being Polynesian



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I went to a festival over Memorial Day Weekend and saw some Polynesian dancers turn. it. out. Graceful hand movements, beautiful smiles, wicked hips and drummers drumming are what I remember most.  As usual, I envisioned myself on stage in my Polynesian Brown Girl outfit swaying my hips softly like ocean waves and then churning it up and turning it out like the Polynesian girls do.  (I might have mentioned this before, but I have this thing about being all of the different cultures that I celebrate so much.  Right now, I want to be Polynesian.  Tomorrow, I'll want to be something else.  Do not judge me.  LOL.) 
I have plans to go to Hawaii this year and maybe even to the South Pacific at some point in 2011, but for now I have my over-active imagination and this blog to take me anywhere I want to go.  Think I'll stick a flower in my hair, go to Whole Foods and get myself a pineapple and create my own little island in my head for the day.  Do you ever use your imagination to transport yourself to another place or time?  Aloha.  =)


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Thank You =)



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Before another moment goes by or before another ocean wave washes away my thoughts, I want to say thank you.  Thank you - from the bottom of my heart - not for just following along on OneBrownGirl.com® as we celebrate ourselves, but for understanding what OBG is all about.  For understanding that we're all pretty much cut from the same cloth with a different pattern, and being okay about it.  For being optimistic, for your kind words, for your encouragement, and for your interest in all cultures and what magnificent things those cultures bring to the table.  I continue to learn, learn, learn as I surf my brain and the Web for ways to celebrate and it means a lot to me to have you along for the ride.
From One Brown Girl to another (and another and another) ... Brown.Girls.Rock.  Yanno?
With dedication, commitment & love,
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