So I've been hanging out alot on Twitter lately...after all it's the latest social media craze so how could I not right?...anyway, as usual while being nosey and bugging people I've made some friends =)

So far there was no pattern or specific community to the people I started following or who started following me. Well, that's partial true. I started following other moms first...of course. Other then that my followers were a variety of folks with different causes talking about a whole bunch of different stuff.

Until I discovered the twitter search link *lightbulb*

First search term I entered...mixed...but after viweing results I felt that was too broad a term. So next I entered...blasian...I figured I might get a few profiles to look at but nothing really relevant. Ah, I'm glad to say how wrong I was...

I found a bunch of people talking about blasians for whatever reason. More important I found quite a few blasians and more important then that I found parents of blasians. Woot, woot! I was like a kid in a candy store. I started following everyone I could find so I could later go back and harass...oops I mean... start a friendship with them. =)

I noticed that some of them started following me...which was nice of them. But one person is particular wrote me a DM (twitter term for direct message) asking me to view his site Puppet String Marketing. Dude...are you trying to spam me?! So, I wrote something sarcastic back. He had the nerve to DM me again but this time shared a very interesting link.

After viewing the link my mouth dropped opened and I sat staring at the screen for a few minutes. Then I broke out into laughter followed by a proud *smirk*. I LOVE find asian and black couples and families in general but to find a asian man black women couples who are also techies and hopes of blasian world domination?! It's like winning a lottery or something.

You see, I fight alot against the stereotypes that Asian Black couples and families are a "rarity". I also try to help people see that there are MANY different types if Asian Black couples. Most people feel an Asian man has to be "ghetto" to date a black women or the black women has to study and emulate the asian culture to date an Asian man. No matter how many times I prove people wrong by sharing stories and info to broaden their minds, people still want to stick to the old negative style of thinking.

This makes me wonder how people will deal with my son who is a product of an Asian Man Black Women union. Sometimes as a mother it can be very discouraging for me. I wonder why I even bother sometimes. But every once in a while I come across something or someone who restores my confidence that I'll find other positive people within the Asian Black community. On behalf of my little blasian son and I ...I say Thank you!

Finally dammit! Pass it along, pass it along

- Nikki

ANNOUNCEMENT OF RESEARCH STUDY ON THE INNER WORLDS OF ADULTS WITH AFRICAN AMERICAN AND KOREAN HERITAGES

This is an invitation to participate in a research study designed to explore the inner worlds of adults with African American and Korean heritages. My name is Liz Bradshaw and I am an African American and Korean doctoral student in Counseling Psychology at Western Michigan University and this research is part of my dissertation.

I am seeking potential participants at least 18 years of age with multiple heritages who have one parent who identifies as African American and another who identifies as Korean. Participation will involve being interviewed about your experiences as an individual of African American and Korean descent.

By conducting this study, I hope to give voice to the stories of people of African American and Korean descent, stories that have often been silenced or neglected in the past. If you are interested in participating in this study and would like to learn more, please contact me by email (elizabeth.bradshaw@ wmich.edu) to receive additional information. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Liz Bradshaw

MIXED
written and performed by Maya Lilly
directed by Mahayana Landowne

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The Baruch Performing Arts Center continues its commitment to present original and inspiring theatrical voices with the Spring 2009 production of MIXED, the award-winning, critically-acclaimed one-person show that examines the lives of interracial people.MIXED is the voice of the people forced to check “other” for race questions on forms. Julliard-trained actress Maya Lilly interviewed over 200 multi-racial people, who (like our new president) are born from parents of different cultural identities.

Winner of the BEST SOLO SHOW prize from North Hollywood’s Actor's Group Theater, MIXED dares to not only answer the question “What are you?” but explores the question’s challenges and complexities for multi-racial people. The play looks at the core challenge of individuals who embrace two races within their own being. MIXED is poignant, but also fun and funny. Each of eight characters shares their unique perspective on what it is to identify with diverse heritage, where every relationship is inter-racial in nature: fears, confusion, coming to grips with who is inside you, and hopes for being understood.

Yet humor finds its way. Not unlike Anna Deavere Smith, Maya Lilly has been hailed for her detailed multiple characterizations in a one-woman show that tells a brave new story not yet seen in the race dialogue of film, television and theater. Although the topic of interracial relationships has been addressed in the performing arts, the missing voice is perhaps the one that most greatly illuminates the issue – the 7 million children of interracial couples that the U.S. government has very recently learned exist in this country – according to the 2000 Census.

Receiving standing ovations at colleges, universities and theaters across the country, MIXED comes to New York City, where being MIXED is demonstrated in the faces of people on street corners, cafes, and classrooms. “Your performance encouraged me to take a deeper look at what it means to exist as a mixed person in America and the implications it has on those around us” - Cecilia (recent audience member).

Baruch Performing Arts Center
Baruch College: 25th St. (bet. 3rd and Lex Aves.), NYC
For Tickets (646) 312-4085