We were so excited by the relaunch of Ebony.com – the new site is stunning, and takes the unparalleled cultural archive that is Ebony magazine into the new millenium with up to the minute online-only content, access to historical imagery, and impactful design. In their Family/Parenting section is a series of profiles called ‘the coolest black family in America’ and we were thrilled to be the first feature in the series!!

I’m so proud to say that these promo spots for The Siwe Project were the 1st project shot at Exittheapple studios! Thank You Bassey Ikpi for taking on such an important project! Support and advocacy around mental health issues for communities of color. Spread the word!

thesiweproject.org/

You all know about the special place in have in my heart for De La Soul. Imagine my excitement when the fine people at Gummysoul.com complied a series of De la / Fela mashups. enjoy* here’s the link: http://gummysoul.bandcamp.com/album/fela-soul

I’ve been following this guy for a while & I’m so happy to announce that he’s finally recorded an entire show. His name is Baron Vaugh the CD/mp3 is called “raised by cable” check for it if you need a good laugh today.

I sound like a broken record saying the same thing so maybe if the brilliant actress Viola Davis says it some of ya’ll will listen. To those of you out there doing it…get back to work
ps Mrs Davis, expect a call from me soonish
-pierre bennu

This stellar piece was originally published at author/essayist Bernestine Singley’s blog, www.beforebarack.com. We think it’s an amazing piece and an excellent counterpoint/perspective to include in the conversation about the book/move “The Help” with its various glosses and erasures. For even more historical context, check out this statement from the Association of Black Women Historians.

Dr. Singley’s piece follows below.
–p&j bennu

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[Note: I hope to grow this piece as we get closer to the release of Stephen Spielberg's silver screen travesty based on Katheryn Stockett's atrocity, "The Help," the latest in a too long line of completely fabricated, studiedly oblivious, and teeth-clenchingly familiar paeans to The-Black-Woman-Whut-Raised-Me genre that white (mostly) Southerners just can't seem to let die. I might not be able to bury the genre, but I can damn sure write a hole through it. Right now, this is all I've got time for. But I'll be back.]

A white girl, all grown up, zooms through cyberspace and finds me at my desk in 2006. It seems she has a wedding dress encased in glass hanging on her wall and she thinks the framed frock has something to do with me. Mama is the link to this white woman’s object of iconic revelry. Fact is I’m not feeling very friendly towards my caller. It’s not her fault, and yet…

When my caller was very young, my mother, Odessa Singley, was her Grandmommy’s maid. On this nostalgic call, though, my Mama comes out of the caller’s mouth as “Odessa” just like it did back when she was seven and Mama was forty-seven. Mama—“Odessa”—was her “best friend,” she says; her anchor in a storm of sequential parents, relocations, and other family mayhem. “Odessa” was her harbinger of summers that began with packed bags and eagerly awaited trips to Grandmommy’s.

And, forty years ago, “Odessa” made the wedding dress hanging on the caller’s wall. Instantly, my caller becomes “the Wedding Princess” even though she never really was a bride because at seven, she was qualified only for the wedding getup, not for the wedding man. “I loved Odessa and she loved me,” she declares, whipping me back to the present. Her declaration of my mother’s affection for her stops me cold.

Call me crazy, but I’m thinking the maid might’ve been several steps removed from thoughts of love so busy was she slinging suds, pushing a mop, vacuuming the drapes, ironing and starching load after load of laundry. Plus, I know what Mama told us when she, my sister, and I reported on our day over dinner each night and not once did Mama’s love for the Wedding Princess find its way into that conversation: She cleaned up behind, but she did not love those white children.

But here I am: the phone pressed against my ear and the disembodied voice of the grown up Wedding Princess on the other end. I make a mental note: This is how being white, female, Southern, and 1960 can frame a conversation. Instead of pinning myself to the wall of Princess’ lovely memory, I gear up to pin Princess to the truth. In our imminent war of dueling narratives, mine is bout to kick some princess ass.
[Read more]

If you’re anywhere near Maryland next Wednesday check us out live for a screening of some of our short films, and an NPR taping. Free admission! See you there.

Here is me & my wife’s interview with O Magazine!! It’s about love, life, and maintaining joy. This year will be our 12th Year marriage anniversary here is the link to the article on line – enjoy! )

I’ve been w/baby #1 so much & my wife is w/ #2 so much that at times it’s almost like we are 2 single parents living with each other. It sorta has to be this way till he’s done breast feeding, but i wanted to give mama a break so i took #2 for a walk in the stroller.

I live in a great area. My neighborhood is neither suburb or hood. Both are in walking distance but it’s neither. I like to say its “hood adjacent”
– the 7/11 is in walking distance the whole foods is a bit of a drive. But it’s near a lot of trees and in the late night it smells like sleep away camp.

So I’m pushing through the more Hoodalishious section of my surrounding area.

It is the unfortunate custom amongst men that we tend to greet each other quite defensively. head jerks & grunts. I tend to be a very happy person and this has always been hard for me for 2 reasons. #1 people look at happy smiling people strange where ever you go, that is not unique to the hood. #2 I look like a 9 year old boy. This is part of the reason I grew a beard, to look more intimidating. It never works no one is ever scared to approach me ever. As a matter of fact if there is a crazy person in an enclosed public space be it a bus or an art gallery they ALWAYS find me and talk to me.
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Since last I did this blog on being a father we have had another child. Needless to say with a growing business and a new life I have had little time to dedicate to writing about all new challenges a 2nd child presents. But as things start to reach a predictable rhythm I will be able to share with you many new stories and many old ones I never got a chance to post. I dedicate this to all the lovers, the parents, the folks who have no kids who don’t understand their friends who do & finally for those who don’t see all that goes on behind the scenes of parenthood in the new millennium.
-pierre bennu