A New Day

Well by now, most of us have cried all of the mascara and contact lenses right out of our eyes. This is such an important day for all Americans and citizens of the world. I won't bore you like some stuffy pundit, I will however go over the most important things we witnessed this afternoon:

ARETHA FRANKLIN'S HAT.

Can we talk about it? Whooooo baby bye!!!! Sister Holy Ghost was rocking that hat! In one single gesture she became the advocate for colored ladies wearing crowns to the pulpit! I rejoiced at Re-Re's grandeur. Yeah, she sang her face off, but it was the hat ladies and gentleman that cracked my sh*t up. Lord hammercy.

What else???? OH! Former prez. Bill Clinton. Good ole Willie was up to his same antics staring down the first lady. Oh you didn't notice? Well lemme tell you, he was staring at Michelle Obama like "gaaaaaaaadammmmn you are so fine..." Can't say I'ont blame him. Girlfriend gets up at 4am to work out. And she's got a pair of ham hocks to show for it (that's Negro colloquialism for "nice legs" you squares). Girlfriends locs were fierce too! The 20degree weather didn't stop her from letting them locs flow freely. Umph, get ready Sephora. Y'all bout to carry Pro Style Gel and Lusters Pink Oil for the bevy of black women that wanna look like the first lady. I love it.

Yo Yo Ma! No, not yo mama, but Yo Yo Ma! What a beautiful song they played. Thank god they didn't have some lame ass singer to "accompany" these world renowned musicians. Think this'll bring music back to public schools? Sh*t listening to Yo Yo Ma makes me feel proud to be Asian. And I ain't even Asian.

I really really REALLY dug lil princess' Malia and Sascha. Them lil girls like their mama, was fierce! I hope this will inspire mothers to take pride in what their children look like. You see when I was a shorty, we DRESSED to go to birthday parties and other occasions. Our locs were neatly pressed, cornrows oiled, and coordinated our beads (that's inner city anthropology for you squares. Lil black girls in the 80s adorned their hair with beads ala Cleopatra, ala Rick James. UNNNITY!) But seriously folks teach these chirrens some manners so that they may govern themselves accordingly. I"m not saying lets all be Emily Post, but damn stop letting your kids wear sports gear to church. Stop lettin' them dress like their 10-15 years older. 5th graders looking like Rhinna and Lil Wayne, Joc, Jeezy, JAY Z whatever....Oh, I sound like some old curmudgeon.

I send my prayer warriors to the family of Senator Ted Kennedy who fell ill during the events of the day. Speedy recovery Teddy. Rise and reign.

Despite my own "real life drama" (no current place to live, no working car, and an anemic bank account) I still feel hopeful. I woke up early this a.m. (clothed in my right mind like the preachers say) and forgot about all the bullsh*t that keeps me up at night. I drank coffee and watched my president get sworn in with two of my bestest friends Melvin Abston and Rusty Schwimmer. We laughed, we wept, we yelled, and we cursed like sailors cuz we were out of our skulls with glee. I showered roller set my hair (oh yeah, I got LaVerne and Shirley hair today y'all) put on my ball gown, pearls, gold heels and topped it off with my Martin Luther King Jr. necklace (Bobby Kennedy is on the other side) and cake walked all the way to work. It'll be dead here on Abbot Kinney, but I don't mind. Cuz in my head I'm in D.C. swigging champagne and chanting 'YES WE WILL'.

Harold Washington
Nina Simone
George Carlin
Bernie Mac
Beah Richards
Josephine Hughes
Jasmin Milligan
Malcom & Martin
Mme CJ
Ira Aldridge
Bayard Rustin
Darius Truly
Lorraine Hansberry
Calvin Lockhart
Bob Fosse
Fannie Lou Hamer
Marlon Brando
Che Guevara
and Sammy Davis

Must be having a big party in heaven right now.

Good times.