Here are the highs and lows from the last week!
Just a few things that made me smile over the past few days:
House of Cards, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt and More Receive Release Dates
We’re only in January and I’ve already given up on this winter. It’s windy, cold, and just all over miserable, and it has barely begun to snow yet. But Netflix has offered a beacon of light in what is otherwise an overcast world: release dates. Everyone’s favorite streaming service has set the dates for some of its top original shows, like Orange is the New Black and Grace and Frankie, as well as dates for several new Netflix originals (like Fuller House!). Even though most of my faves are a few months away, I can take solace in the fact that I now have a concrete excuse to not leave my house on March 4th. In the meantime, Gilmore Girls is not going to re-watch itself over from season 1, now is it?
More People Like Breastfeeding Than I Thought
By now I’m sure you’ve seen the fallout from Wendy William’s interview of Alyssa Milano last week, in which she slams the actress for taking her breastfeeding of her daughter Elizabella public (but if you haven’t, it’s worth watching just for discussion purposes). I’ve tried my best to stand up for Wendy over the years, but even this made it hard for me.
Recently, there’s been a lot of talk about public breastfeeding in light of this interview and the responses have been surprisingly positive. Mothers have been sharing their breastfeeding photos to social media while out shopping and even right after delivering their babies, in an attempt to remove the sexual stigma from breasts. I am so here for this breastfeeding revolution and I hope it makes the naysayers realize that there is nothing lewd or disgusting about feeding a baby while in the Produce section of Trader Joe’s. More importantly, I hope this discussion encourages new mammas from not being afraid to nourish their lil babe out in public.
Missouri Bill HB. 1397 is Ready to Ruin the NRA’s Day
I live for women in government tossing things up to make a point. Rep. Stacey Newman of St. Louis is doing just that, by creating a bill that would impose the same hurdles that exist for abortions on to purchasing firearms. So, instead of just walking into Walmart and buying a rifle, Missouri residents would have to meet with a licensed physician to discuss the risks of gun ownership, wait a 72-hour period and travel as far as 120 miles away from their residence to purchase a gun. And that’s only a handful of obstacles that a gun buyer would face if the bill passes, which women in Missouri must conquer to receive a safe abortion. Newman is making a simple point to her constituents and conservative colleagues; “If we truly insist that Missouri cares about ‘all life,’ then we must take immediate steps to address our major cities’ rising rates of gun violence.”
Here’s what had me SMH this week:
#OscarsSoWhite and Stacey Dash
I want to say that either of the aforementioned surprise me, but since 2016 has already declared itself the year of no chill, I can’t. The nominees of the 2016 Oscar Nominees were revealed late last week and, to no astonishment whatsoever, they were all lily-white. Several black celebrities have publicly stated their refusal to attend the awards show, and some have responded against that sentiment. BTW, if we’re taking score here, I see it for both Ms. Jada and Ms. Janet.
And right on cue came Stacey Dash, with the opinion that no one asked for. Sigh. Skip to :30 for the juicy idiocy.
In her mind, black people have been segregating themselves for years by creating their own spaces in multimedia and entertainment (and even on the calendar, how dare we), and we’re just all Americans! She sure did solve racism with that simple statement, sitting in front of a white man on a white news show. Integration is the key to solving our race problem, folks…I have a headache just looking at that sentence.
Flint, Michigan and the Poisoning of Our Children
The people of Flint, Michigan have been in the midst of what can only be described as ethnic cleansing for the last 2 years, and the world is finally paying attention. In an effort to cut costs and save money, the state of Michigan decided to switch the city’s water supply from Lake Huron to the Flint River, which is known for its pollution. The already toxic water was never treated with an anti-corrosive, and thus iron from water mains began to seep into the homes of Flint residents. Additionally, the levels of lead found in the water is poisoning Flint’s children with irreversible brain damage. In a city that is 60% black/non-white, with much of that percentage living below the poverty line, this level of neglect for black lives shakes me to my core. In a first world country, there are citizens begging for clean water to drink, cook and bathe in. It’s time that the Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder, is held accountable for the decades of damage that has been forced onto these people.
Alan Rickman Passes Away
This better be my last Hits and Shits with a death, because this is just too much. Just days after David Bowie’s passing, acting legend Alan Rickman ended a long battle with cancer. He too was 69 years old. Many people remember him best as Severus Snape from the Harry Potter film series, but my favorite role of Mr. Rickman’s was Metatron in the movie Dogma. He mastered both the stage and screen in his impressive career, appearing and voicing in over 40 movies and television shows.
At almost 23 years old I feel like I’ve come to a weird point in my life when the mortality of my heroes is now staring me right in the face. It’s a very unsettling feeling that I think many 20-somethings are too trying to come to grips with. Alan Rickman left us a legacy that can only be honored and enjoyed, and I thank him for that. Rest in peace.
