Dorkruary: All Philled Up

You've seen him on MadTV, in Pulp Fiction, Step-Brothers, and other movies and tv shows, but you've heard him a whole lot more. Phil LaMarr is everywhere and is one of the workingest voice actors in animation today. Hermes, Kit Fisto, Samurai Jack, Wilt from "Foster's Home . . . ."

"Workingest" shall be regarded as a valid word in this and in future cases. Once you're done with his webpage courtesy of the link above, check out his imdb page. Then you'll understand.

Dorkruary: No Black Folks in Iowa

Even now, it's common to hear black people from other, "blacker" environs glibly proclaim that they had no idea that there were even black people in Iowa.

It's important to remember – and irresponsible and ignorant to presume otherwise – that many escaped slaves and freedmen didn't stay close to home as they escaped slavery. The northeastern states were not the only place in the country to go, and Chicago was never the only city in the Midwest worth being, contrary to popular belief. The United States of America has always offered huge expanses of open space as a resource to the adventurous and enterprising.

Today, Iowa lies at the crossroads of two major interstates: I-35 and I-80; it has always been on the way from somewhere to somewhere else. Before it was flyover country, it was "drive through" country and any place with valued resources – rich, arable land with ample rainfall; plenty of open, unclaimed space; shale and coal deposits – would be popular to settlers of any color or creed. Add to that the fact that Iowa shares a border with Missouri – one of the slavery border states – and you have territory that is accessible to and attractive to plenty of escaped slaves and freedmen, not to mention abolitionist John Brown.

The Root features an article mentioning 15 all-black or predominately black settlements in the United States, including Buxton, IA (number 8) and Muchakinock, IA (number 9). More information can be found here, courtesy of the African American Museum of Iowa.

"There aren't any black people in Iowa!"

And you're an idiot.

Dorkruary: More Than Tokens

In the middle of a brief comic–buying and –reading period (before my meager college budget was overtaxed by the swarm of books that grabbed my attention), an interesting thing happened. DC Comics unveiled a Vertigo-like sub-body whose goal it was to produce stories featuring more multicultural characters and through them, more diverse stories or takes on familiar tropes.

 Dwayne McDuffie and his crew of dedicated writers, editors, artists, and support staff drove Milestone Comics beyond any simplistic idea of being a parade of superpowered tokens. Their efforts brought to life many characters of all ethnicities and took them beyond being "Black Wonder", "Megachief", or "Asian Batman". Their spring 1993 launch consisted of four titles: Hardware, Icon, Blood Syndicate, and Static and soon expanded to include other titles. Later, Static enjoyed a slightly longer life as the cartoon "Static Shock".

Though Milestone comics is gone, McDuffie is still heavily involved in writing and animation projects. Milestone's existence brought some new talent into the pool and very likely inspired more talent that has yet to be discovered.

Dorkruary: Living Colour

When you're a black kid growing up and going to school in a predominately white suburb of a predominately white city in a predominately white state ("There aren't any black people in Iowa!") identity is something not to be taken for granted.

Maybe your parents taught you not to speak so much slang. They brought you up speaking operative English and other black kids will say you "talk white" and well-meaning white people will say you "speak so well".

Chances are that other black kids will be used to more black people being around and will stick together. Chances are that they won't listen to much that's not rap, R&B, blues, or soul. Chances are that the only black rocker you knew of was Jimi Hendrix and you didn't hear a whole lot of him. Prince was Prince and somehow he didn't count as rock so much and he got a pass from black people for playing guitar without being in a blues band.

One day you see a video for a song called "Middle Man" and for some reason it doesn't click just then. Months later you see a video for a song called "Cult of Personality" and it blows your shit open.

That's when you learn – or maybe relearn – that black

people

can

rock.

Your older sister buys you Vivid on cassette for your birthday (along with Public Enemy's It Takes A Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back). That thoughtful, calculated act further encourages you, telling you that it's okay.

It's okay to have brown or near-black skin and to like guitars

and to listen to rock.

And you are taught once again that music is given significance by only two things: who's playing and who's listening; you're reminded that skin color doesn't mean shit if you can play your ass off and people enjoy it.

And you learn that the other black kids who measure blackness by a scale, litmus test, or checklist are just a new form of slave and you're just a little more free than you were before.

Dorkruary

Another spur-of-the-moment idea that will double as a writing challenge to me.

Yes, so it's Black History Month, or as I view it: the one month where more people focus increased attention to something my parents already made into a habit for me and my siblings. As such, I just tend to call it "February".

Each day – beginning today – I will write a blog post about someone black, with the only caveat being that they are somehow tied to media and/or dorketry. The three of you readers out there will probably note that for me, this could include anything, but most likely entertainment or science. It will likely serve most as another peek into what things rattle around in my head when I'm busy procrastinating or doing the time-tested gifted kid activity of paying more attention to things that interest me rather than what is most pertinent.

So prepare yourselves. For these next 29 days, my dorketry shall be a little more tan.

One Thing That Keeps Me Going

I was sifting through pictures on my Flickr page and I found the following caption on one of my photos:

"When my ego and concerns are quieted or out of the way, a lot of what I do boils down to a couple of simple reasons:

• I don't know what else I'd do
• I feel a responsibility

The first reason is easy. The second is kind of typically me, I suppose. Because I have the talents and proclivities I have, and I am the only person in family that does (or to the degree that I have them) or has; because I know that there are people out there who would if they could; and because I'd like to be there for those who will in the future, I feel it's my responsibility to take care of my body and make sure it can do the things I strive to do to the best of my ability. I feel it's my responsibility to expand the scope of that which I am able to do. I feel that if I do not do these things about which I am passionate that all that I have will be a waste and a gob in the face of the forces and situations that congealed to bring Gregory Parks into a place and state in which he could make decisions and make these things happen.

I am not a trailblazer, but I am one of those possibilities for which trailblazers struggled. To honor that is my greatest responsibility."

Word.

Blowing Off Retail Steam

This is THE shopping season and for survival I work retail. The farther I get in my professional life, the more it becomes apparent to me that my momentum is building, the less patience I have for working a "straight" job in the "real" world.

I made it through most of yesterday, but the last 2-1/2 hours were very challenging. For the sake of entertainment, I'm including a quote of part of a post I wrote after the fact:

"I've got a degree, I've hiked to the top of Mt. Fuji, I've walked the great Wall of China, I can speak portions of a couple of languages, and I can explain the very basics of string theory, witch. You just have insurance, a house, regrets, and a 401K."

The part that hits me, is that it's true and I forget to look at that sometimes. I don't have a house or insurance or a 401K. Sometimes that's all people want and they think it will give them security, stability, and/or happiness and they find out later that it's not everything and it's not what makes a life. I have lived a spectacular life and there is more to come. It's uncertain and sometimes difficult, but I'm thankful.