"I Do See Color" weekly newsletter: March 29, 2023
"I Do See Color" weekly newsletter: March 29, 2023
Weekly newsletter 26: Combination of race- and culture-related posts from "We Need to Talk," "I Do See Color," "BlackTechLogy" and "Window Shopping"
Welcome to the “I Do See Color” newsletter (with a bonus section of two first-person interviews called “Deuces”).
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Each week, eight carefully selected posts will be chosen from Substack’s “I Do See Color,” “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “Homegrown Tales” and “Window Shopping,” along with Medium’s “We Need to Talk,” which focus on culture, politics, health and race from a black (wo)man’s perspective.
NEW! 1. Do white women think black women are lying about racism? ~ The question on 'Beyond the Scenes' that left me speechless
Have you ever seen an episode of “Jeopardy” with a question about predominantly black people and none of the contestants know the answer? I’m falling all over my seat yelling out the answer, and it’s crickets on the set of the show. That’s how I feel every single time Comedy Central wonders who should be their next host after comedian/author Trevor Noah left the show after seven years.
Roy Wood Jr. is the obvious answer to me (followed by a few others). Why? I love “Beyond the Scenes.” I’ve watched every single episode of the spinoff of “The Daily Show.” It’s not just that he’s as witty and intelligent as he is funny—depending on the day, he may lean in harder on one of these other three. It’s that he knows how to perfectly ask and answer questions without losing his shit.
NEW! 2. Minority homeowners, protect your homes from scam artists ~ Nearly 1 in 5 between the ages of 18-29 report being targeted by a green, government impostor or mortgage scam
Almost half (45%) of all Black adults say they do not answer a call from someone they do not know, reports the AARP Fraud Watch Network. While this may explain why so many (56%) have never registered their phone numbers on the National Do Not Call Registry, sometimes homeowners may want to actually answer those calls—especially if it’s a bill collector trying to notify them that someone has changed their billing address or phone number.
In a perfect world, ignoring bills wouldn’t result in late fees and negative credit reports. In the real world, missing bills for homeowners should be cause for alarm. It’s one of the top ways that scammers use to try to trick unsuspecting buyers and less-observant homeowners into stealing their deeds and selling their homes even if they’re already living under that roof.
3. The weird hierarchy game of HR and race ~ The chicken costume that made me give up on contacting HR
Human Resources has always been a peculiar space in Corporate America — for me. Sometimes it is a safe ground where employees can air their grievances, and the HR rep will play the mediator between subordinate and supervisor. Then there’s the time my workplace report was greeted by an HR rep, who pulled out his smartphone to show me his friend wearing a chicken costume and told me I needed to learn to “play the game.”
4. I have no love for R. Kelly, but I’m blasting Marvin Gaye forever … and Kendrick Lamar ‘Mr. Morale & the Big Steppers’ — while ignoring Kodak Black
There are two artists who you’ll never get a pass for insulting around me: author/poet Langston Hughes and singer Marvin Gaye. In my first apartment fresh out of college, I had a massive poster of Hughes greeting visitors as soon as they walked by my front door. The same energy happens in my current home with Marvin Gaye — but in a photograph one-fourth of that size.
So when I read this tweet, I was in fight mode immediately. The tweet says, “Y’all listen to Marvin Gaye!? He had a whole baby by a 15 year old” in response to anti-R. Kelly listeners.
5. Black Lives Matter tattoos: Would you hire an applicant with this tat? ~ Is hiding your tattoo hiding your political stance?
Imagine walking into a job interview knowing that 49.39% won’t take you seriously if they see your tattoo. Reading that poll result from Workopolis caught me a little off guard. It’s not that I’m unaware some people don’t like tattoos. It’s more that the average person I meet these days has at least one tattoo, so I’ve grown pretty desensitized to seeing them. I also don’t care if someone has a tattoo. In 2020, I hired 10 people after interviewing at least 20, and I can guarantee you that body art didn’t phase me.
In all fairness, there are a couple of reasons for that. The first, and probably most important, reason is that I have a tattoo — technically I have five tattoos. They’re just all in the same spot. I got so many cover-ups in the same spot that my grandfather used to call me “Etch A Sketch” and a former co-worker called me “ComEd” (electricity company in Chicago) for getting laser surgery so much. I didn’t want a bunch of tattoos all over the place, so I’d just redo the same tattoo over and over again when I didn’t like it.
6. My job: The comedy pilot that never got picked up ~ Fact: ‘Abbott Elementary’ is as delightful as ‘A Black Lady Sketch Show’
Ifyou haven’t watched Quinta Brunson in ABC’s “Abbott Elementary,” you’re missing out. As much as I pouted about her leaving the equally funny “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” I knew Quinta was onto something as soon as I saw the duo sketch between her and Tyler James Williams on “ABLSS.” I didn’t know the star of “Everybody Hates Chris” could pull off a starring role, but he’s killing it, too.
And as much as I’m laughing through “ABLSS,” I’m having “I feel attacked” moments because I’ve lived this life — even though I’m not an elementary school teacher. Here are the top five moments I have had in real life that rival what’s happening on the show.
7. Ellen Pompeo said ‘people of color are magical’ — but Denzel is a ‘motherfucker’ ~ Why I side-eye people gushing over black people way too hard
“People of color are magical,” Ellen Pompeo said on an episode of “Red Table Talk” at the 12:44 mark. She went on to describe POCs as “mystical and powerful and beautiful and spiritual and strong and excellent at what they do.”
I’m guessing her views of being a “fan” of the “black experience” were supposed to be complimentary, but I could feel smoke blowing through my ears and nose. The more she talked, the more annoyed I became. At one point, my eyes rolled so far into the back of my head that I had to pull them off my shoestrings. That “Red Table Talk” interview just never sat right with me. Something in the nonstop gushing felt condescending, like she was playing to the hosts — Jada Pinkett Smith, Willow Smith and Adrienne “Gammy” Banfield-Norris. I’d stopped regularly watching “Grey’s Anatomy” several years ago.
8. Truth hurts: Harassment won’t stop until men start talking to other men ~ The lack of logic behind a restraining order
“If he stands in your front yard waving his arm like he’s stabbing something, we still can’t do anything about it,” the police told her. “It’s just self-expression, and he’s not hurting anyone.”
I’ll never forget the day a buddy of mine told me this. I was dumbfounded. The stories she told me of racism in Mississippi were awful enough. Then she moved to Indiana, right into the arms of a domestic abuser. And the police would do nothing. Why? He’d never physically put his hands on her. He’d followed her to work and home. He’d made verbally abusive comments. But as long as he hadn’t physically abused her, they shrugged and went home.
“Deuces” ~ “I Do See Color” newsletter’s bonus interviews:
1. M&M Products Director Will Williams on razor bumps and Bump Patrol cream ~ Tips for men and grooming, proper shaving techniques
Finding a shaving cream or a razor that gets rid of unwanted hair but doesn’t leave your chin and neck looking like San Francisco hills can be a challenge. Some shaving creams are so powerful that they can make your skin break out. Men (and women) find it easier and cheaper to just use soap and water instead of all the fancy products.
Will Williams, a 30-year master barber and master colorist, is the Director of Education and New Product Development for M&M Products. He also agreed to share his grooming expertise with Shamontiel, the Chicago Black Hair & Health Examiner, about why Bump Patrol (an M&M Product) eliminates both issues.
2. “IT Entrepreneur Adamant That Chicagoans Learn To Start Their Own Businesses,” CBS Chicago, February 2, 2015
According to The New York Times, double majors rose to 70 percent between 2001 and 2011. But what happens to students who only take one major and find themselves very successful at something they never imagined they'd be doing? That was the case for Mike McGee. His interest in technology is what made him do a 180 with his degree in political science and become the co-founder of The Starter League.
"When I was at Northwestern I was involved with a lot of extracurricular activities, and I worked on issues to try to improve the quality of life for students," said McGee. "I learned that I was really passionate about solving problems for other people. The more I moved on into my undergraduate career I met more people. That's how I got started with a start-up on the entrepreneurial side."
Did you enjoy this post? You’re also welcome to check out her Substack columns “Black Girl In a Doggone World,” “Homegrown Tales,” “I Do See Color” and “Window Shopping” too. Join Shamontiel as a paid Medium member, and subscribe to her free weekly newsletter.
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