Spiderman, spiderman........

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A new Spider-man has been revealed.......and he is 1/2 black and 1/2 hispanic!

From USA Today:  

Marvel's editor in chief, Axel Alonso.

"What you have is a Spider-Man for the 21st century who's reflective of our culture and diversity. We think that readers will fall in love with Miles Morales the same way they fell in love with Peter Parker."

 Full article here.

Quoted

I detest racialism, because I regard it as a barbaric thing, whether it comes from a black man or a white man.
Nelson Mandela 

Adult Book Shelf

Cover of The Grace of Silence: A Memoir

I finally finished the Grace of Silence, which I really liked by Michele Norris of NPR.  It was great to read about Minnesota, Minneapolis and St. Paul through her and her families viewpoint.
Some parts of the book really spoke to me:

Here is the conundrum of racism.  You know it's there, but you can't prove, beyond a reasonable doubt how it colors a particular situation.  

Many steps lead to the crossing of a threshold, and many are the people, often anonymous, who play minor roles in history's grand tales.  I am betting that some of them might be sitting at your family table.

Daycare and Dolls

Image by Darwin Bell via Flickr

Seen on Jezebel:
Colorado has proposed new day care rules, among them- dolls must be provided in at least three races.
A lot of controversy over all the rules, but I have to say- I love the diversity requirement for dolls.   
I don't know that I agree that it should be mandated, but on the other hand, it probably wouldn't happen without it.

Thoughts?

Beautiful Art

I'm always on the look out for art that depicts multiple skin tones, especially for my children's rooms- I am always excited when I can find pieces that depict my daughters multiracial heritage.
So, I was excited to see the work of Ida Pearle.  Peruse the site and fall in love!

Classic Beauty Across Cultures

From CNN Living:
Dr. Nancy Etcoff, a Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital psychologist who studies the science behind the brain and beauty, believes that the shift in our perception of beauty is a sign of the times.
"Our standards of beauty are changing and ethnic women are at the forefront today," she said. "It emulates our growing sense of cultural awareness."
Etcoff, who also authored "Survival of the Prettiest," adds: "If you study plastic surgery textbooks, the notions of an ideal feature have changed. In the 50s, the ideal look featured thinner lips, upturned noses, smaller eyes, and paler makeup," Etcoff said. "Now you see broader noses, darker skin, and larger eyelids. All these attributes suggest shifts in demographics and an appeal to a more multicultural look instead of an overly Caucasian appearance."

		At the request of Dr. Nancy Etcoff,  Karen Taylor drew the idealized face of “beauty” for a television feature production entitled Survival of the Prettiest. California-based Termite Art Productions developed the hour-long program for the Discovery Channel, based on Dr. Etcoff’s book of the same name. Dr. Etcoff conferred with Karen to arrive at a universal “template face” of beauty in conjunction with Etcoff's belief that physical attraction is innate and biologically-based rather than learned behavior.
Taylor's template face fits classic beauties Elizabeth Taylor, Marilyn Monroe, Halle Berry, Lucy Lui and Vanessa Williams.

Quoted

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Homophobia is like racism and anti-Semitism and other forms of bigotry in that it seeks to dehumanize a large group of people, to deny their humanity, their dignity and personhood.

This sets the stage for further repression and violence that spread all too easily to victimize the next minority group.
-Coretta Scott King